When reports of the Patriots decision to release Stephon Gilmore came out on Wednesday morning, Tampa Bay immediately came up as a potential destination for the veteran cornerback.
The Buccaneers have several injuries at the position, having started newly signed Richard Sherman opposite Carlton Davis last week. But now Davis is out with a quad injury and appears likely to join Sean Murphy-Bunting on injured reserve.
“I don’t see either one of them coming back anytime soon,” head coach Bruce Arians said on Wednesday, via Jenna Laine of ESPN.
Cornerback Jamel Dean also missed last week’s game with a knee injury.
So could the Buccaneers target Gilmore?
“We’ll kick the tires on everybody that’s available, so we’ll see,” Arians said. “If it’s a fit, it’s a fit. If it’s not, it’s not.”
Gilmore has obvious ties to quarterback Tom Brady, playing together on the Patriots for three seasons and winning Super Bowl LIII over the Rams. If Brady recruited Sherman, he’s more than likely to do the same with Gilmore.
But Gilmore could still get traded before his release becomes official at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday. So it remains to be seen if he’ll even become available on the open market.
