Buccaneers add yet another offensive weapon in free agency at Tom Brady's disposal
Tom Brady will look to win his eighth Super Bowl in 2022 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The future Hall of Fame flirted with retirement for 40 days before deciding to return and try to win another Lombardi Trophy.
His dream of winning another Super Bowl got a boost Tuesday when ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported the Bucs signed free agent wide receiver Russell Gage.
Gage will be the Buccaneers' slot wide receiver after Chris Godwin returns from his torn ACL. Until then, Gage will play opposite Mike Evans on the outside.
Bucs get their WR3 from a division rival, Falcons’ Russell Gage has agreed to terms with Tampa Bay and will join Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. twitter.com/jfowlerespn/st…
If the team re-signs Tom Brady's favorite target, Rob Gronkowski, they'll be one of the favorites to win the whole thing.
Gage offers a complementary skillset to Godwin and Evans. After Antonio Brown walked away from the team last season, finding a new slot wide receiver was a need for the Bucs. The position has been filled and potentially upgraded.
Russell Gage will be a great fit with Tom Brady and the Buccaneers
Tom Brady has an established chemistry with Godwin and Evans that is off the charts. Godwin is a do-it-all type of receiver. In short and intermediate routes especially, Godwin is as reliable as they come.
Evans is known for being a jump-ball specialist at 6' 5". If you throw the ball to him in man coverage, he's as safe a bet to snag the ball over his defender as any wide receiver in the NFL.
Both Godwin and Evans saw their catch percentages skyrocket after Brady joined the Bucs in 2020.
Gage's biggest strength is being lightning-quick and finding ways to get open. At 6' 0", Gage is undersized but finds ways to get open by outrunning defenders. As Yahoo Sports' Matt Harmon points out, he excels in man coverage.
I sneakily really like Russell Gage after charting his 2021 season for #ReceptionPerception. He gets open (71.3% success rate vs. man), can play all over and is tough at the catch point. Awesome fit in TB.
Full profile on the new Bucs WR here:
receptionperception.com/russell-gage-2… https://t.co/Sbx7HFdLKM
Gage has steadily improved every season with the Atlanta Falcons. He was never a stud, but he totaled 786 receiving yards in 2020 and 770 yards in 2021. At 26-years-old he has a bright future with his best days still ahead of him.
As promising a signing as Gage is, the Bucs have more work to do this summer. Left guard Ali Marpet is retired and has no intention of coming back. Right guard Alex Cappa joined the Cincinnati Bengals on a four-year deal.
Brady is great but relies on his offensive line just like any other quarterback. As long as the Bucs can find a way to address those two holes, the runway is open for them to be contenders in the NFC.