DE Gaines Adams had 13.5 sacks in 37 games as a Buccaneer
With the NFL's trade deadline looming four days away, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a bold move on Friday evening, trading Gaines Adams to the Chicago Bears. The Buccaneers netted a second-round pick in the 2010 draft in exchange for the third-year defensive end.
Adams, a first-round pick out of Clemson in 2007, has started each of the Bucs' first five games at right defensive end and has contributed 14 tackles and one sack. He has played in 37 games with 29 starts as a Buccaneer and recorded 124 tackles and 13.5 sacks.
Third-year defensive end Stylez G. White presumably moves into the starting lineup with Adams departure. White leads the team with 11 quarterback pressures through the first five games. The Buccaneers have plenty of depth at the end position, beginning with rookie Kyle Moore, who has just returned from a knee injury. Former Denver Bronco Tim Crowder has also worked into the game-day mix at end and the team claimed former Seattle Seahawk Michael Bennett off waivers earlier this week.
Trades are relatively rare in the NFL, even near the deadline, but this is the fourth one the Buccaneers have made since Mark Dominik and Raheem Morris were installed as the general manager and head coach, respectively, in January. The Bucs also traded a 2009 second-round pick to Cleveland to acquire tight end Kellen Winslow. Through five games, Winslow leads the Buccaneers with 26 receptions for 257 yards and four touchdowns.
Tampa Bay's other trades sent tight end Alex Smith to New England for a fifth-round pick in the 2010 draft and quarterback Luke McCown to Jacksonville for a conditional selection in the same draft.
The Buccaneers' stockpiling of draft picks is obviously significant. Dominik and Morris have executed a plan that has simultaneously made the Buccaneers' roster quite a bit younger while also setting it up for an immediate infusion of talent. Six months before the 2010 draft is set to take place, the Bucs already have accumulated 10 picks.
