The Tampa Bay Buccaneers eagerly welcomed Tom Brady back into the fold last week and now Brady is welcoming some of his former New England teammates to Tampa.
On Thursday, the Buccaneers signed 10th-year safety Logan Ryan, who had been released by the New York Giants a week earlier. Ryan initially entered the NFL as a third-round draft pick by the Patriots in 2013 and he spent his first four seasons in Foxborough as Brady's teammate. Both players won Super Bowl championship rings after the 2014 and 2016 seasons.
Ryan joins guard Shaq Mason as former Patriots to recently join forces with Brady in Tampa. The Buccaneers formally announced their trade for Mason on Friday, confirming the swap of a 2022 fifth-round pick to get the long-time starting lineman.
Ryan played cornerback for his first seven seasons in the league, including three with the Tennessee Titans, before converting to safety after signing with the Giants in 2020. He played in 31 games with 30 starts over his two seasons in New York and was named a team captain in 2021. Ryan's positional versatility was on display during those two seasons, as he logged more than 200 snaps at three different spots: free safety, box safety and slot corner. In that span he produced 211 tackles, one interception, 17 passes defensed, five forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, 2.0 sacks and seven quarterback hits.
Ryan was a ball-hawking corner during his four seasons in New England, picking off 13 passes and producing 41 passes defensed. During his three seasons as a Titan, he also proved to be a useful blitzer out of the slot, racking up 4.0 sacks in 2018 and another 4.5 in 2019.
Overall, in nine seasons, the former Rutgers star has amassed 705 tackles, 13.0 sacks, 26 QB hits, 18 tackles for loss, 18 interceptions, 95 passes defensed, 14 forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.
The Buccaneers had a need for safety depth after four-year starter Jordan Whitehead signed with the New York Jets at the start of free agency last week. Ryan joins a group that also includes young but experienced players in third-year starter Antoine Winfield Jr. and fourth-year man Mike Edwards.
