TAMPA (WFLA) – The Tampa Bay Buccaneers brought back an old friend and added to the secondary on Thursday with the signings of defensive lineman William Gholston and safety Logan Ryan.
Gholston returns to Tampa Bay for his 10th season, making him the second-longest tenured Buccaneers player behind only Lavonte David. Since being selected by Tampa Bay in the 2013 NFL Draft, Gholston has played in 136 career games, with 78 starts.
He is just five games shy of surpassing Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Sapp for the 10th-most games played in franchise history.
Overall in 136 regular-season games, Gholston has amassed 352 tackles, 19.5 sacks, 54 tackles for loss, 72 quarterback hits, 12 passes defended, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
For Ryan, he will be returning to play with Tom Brady as well as adding secondary depth.
Ryan won Super Bowl championship rings with the Patriots in 2014 and 2016. He joins Shaq Mason who was recently traded from the Patriots to the Buccaneers.
Ryan was originally drafted as a cornerback but has since converted to safety after signing with the Giants in 2020.
Overall, in nine seasons, Ryan has amassed 705 tackles, 13 sacks, 26 QB hits, 18 tackles for loss, 18 interceptions, 95 passes defended, 14 forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.
The Buccaneers also added Jordan Whitehead earlier this offseason adding depth behind Antoine Winfield Jr. and Mike Edwards.