Getty Former Buccaneers CB Logan Ryan.
While the San Francisco 49ers couldn’t lure Tom Brady out of retirement, the team landed one of his former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New England Patriots teammates heading into Week 14.
The 49ers bolstered its defensive backfield depth on Tuesday, December 5 by signing Logan Ryan, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Ryan, 32, won two Super Bowls with the Patriots in 2015 and 2016 before he bounced around the league during the past seven years.
He most recently played for the Buccaneers in the 2022 season, but Ryan didn’t find a landing spot in free agency before the current season. Ryan joined the Buccaneers last year because of Brady, who played the final three seasons of his career in Tampa after a 2020 free agency departure from New England.
Ryan has 19 interceptions in his career along with 13 sacks, 15 forced fumbles, 98 pass deflections and 742 tackles. In 2022, Ryan tallied 1 interception, 37 tackles, and a forced fumble in six games played amid a foot injury.
Ryan has been durable throughout his career with only a few injuries. He endured an ankle sprain and concussion in 2017 with the Tennessee Titans, but he didn’t miss any time. His fibula fracture in 2018 cost him the last two games of that season with the Titans.
A third-round NFL draft pick by the Patriots out of Rutgers in 2013, Ryan played four seasons in Foxborough before he left for Tennessee in free agency. After three seasons with the Titans, Ryan signed with the New York Giants in 2020.
Ryan played four seasons with Brady in New England. Reuniting in Tampa didn’t lead to another Super Bowl ring, but Ryan has another shot with the 49ers.
San Francisco could land the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs and a bye with five straight wins to end the season coupled with another Philadelphia Eagles loss. The 49ers increased their chances to the top seed with a 42-19 win against the Eagles in Week 13.
Buccaneers Secondary Still on the Mend
The Buccaneers’ secondary has seen its share of injuries this season, and whether or not that unit will get back to 100% soon remains to be seen.
Tampa Bay cornerback Jamel Dean remains questionable after he missed a second-straight game in Week 13. Dean has been up-and-down this season with 36 tackles and 3 pass deflections.
Second-year cornerback Zyon McCollum has 13 tackles in the two games Dean missed. McCollum has 31 tackles and 5 pass deflections overall this season.
Antoine Winfield Jr. Brightest Spot in Buccaneers Secondary
Fourth-year safety Antoine Winfield Jr. has been by far the brightest spot in the Buccaneers secondary this season.
The former Minnesota Golden Gophers star has 53 tackles, three forced fumbles, two interceptions, and 11 pass deflections this fall. Winfield’s most recent performance, a late interception, helped seal a 21-18 win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 13.
He recently received NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors for that game in addition to the team’s Walter Payton Man of the Year award nomination. Next, the Buccaneers will need to find a way to pay Winfield as he could become a free agent in March 2024.
In four seasons, Winfield has 351 tackles, eight forced fumbles, 12 sacks, six interceptions, and 26 pass deflections.