The second day of free agency was quieter than day one for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as they only signed one free agent from outside the team in former Denver Broncos’ punter Hunter Riley. However, there was some movement from within as they re-signed depth edge rusher Anthony Nelson while Joe Tryon-Shoyinka left for Cleveland, Ohio to sign with the Browns on a one-year deal.
Many might have hoped for another big day, but the Bucs seem to be being patient in making sure that they are bringing in or retaining the right guys to further build off their playoff appearance last season. With the offense pretty much set outside of depth players, much of the attention has been on the defensive side of the ball – where there are plenty of holes that need filling either through the remainder of free agency or through the NFL Draft.
One of those positions on defense could still be addressed here in free agency is at cornerback. With Jamel Dean having injury issues the past couple of seasons, the Bucs could use some added depth in this area, which is why SBNation predicts them landing one of their top-50 free agents in Cincinnati Bengals’ Mike Hilton.
“Once again the Bucs look to overhaul their secondary in a cheap, effective way. Hilton would add to a struggling unit and help morph Tampa Bay from being one dimensional.”
The Bucs were once again strong against the run in 2024 but struggled against the pass with injuries and lack of experience being the main contributors to that. Bringing in Hilton would allow Tampa Bay some wiggle room in this area and at a $37 million evaluation over three years according to Spotrac, it wouldn’t cost them an arm and a leg for his services.
Hilton is an eight-year veteran in the league after spending the past four seasons with the Bengals and the previous four with the Steelers, which is something Todd Bowles would likely value on his defense. While the Bengals defense as a whole struggled in 2024, Hilton was a bright spot. Throughout his career, Hilton has compiled 520 tackles, 56 passes defended, 13 interceptions (one for a touchdown), six fumble recoveries, and four forced fumbles.
