The New York Giants released veteran defensive back Logan Ryan on Thursday to open up some cap space, but it didn’t take him long to find a new home. Friday morning, NFL Media reported that Ryan would be signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Ryan confirmed the report, replying on Twitter “#GoBucs.”
Ryan reunites with Tom Brady, with whom he won two Super Bowls with during his four seasons with the New England Patriots. Ryan just turned 31-years-old last month, but he’s still making an impact in the secondary. Last year with the Giants, he recorded a career-high 117 combined tackles, eight passes defensed and two forced fumbles.
Not only is Ryan a leader who will add experience to this defense, but he’s also a versatile defensive back who has played both cornerback and safety over the past few seasons. This is important, as the Buccaneers lost safety Jordan Whitehead to the New York Jets earlier this week.
Ryan was originally selected by the Patriots in the third-round of the 2013 NFL Draft out of Rutgers, and has notched 705 combined tackles, 13 sacks, 18 interceptions and 14 forced fumbles in 140 career games. In his two seasons with the Giants (31 games played), he totaled 209 combined tackles, which led the team during that time period.
After Brady decided to unretire, he’s been busy recruiting. Per NFL Media’s Peter Schrager, Brady has been saying that the Bucs are again building something special, and part of that process apparently includes bringing old friends back into the fold.
KVSP