Buccaneers bring back offensive lineman Josh Wells

According to Greg Auman of The Athletic, the Buccaneers are bringing back offensive tackle Josh Wells on a one year deal worth $910,000.

Wells, entering his second year with the Bucs and his sixth career season, filled in for two games in 2019 for left tackle Donovan Smith when Smith went down with injury.

Wells has started eleven of the 52 games in his career, nine of which coming in the 2017 and 2018 seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Bucs clearly still needed depth along the offensive line so the return of Wells was a crucial one. Having someone return for the veteran minimum who started games in this offense and is familiar with the playbook will not only bring a sense of continuity but will also continue to help first round pick Tristan Wirfs get up to speed that much faster. The more players the Buccaneers have returning from the 2019 team, the better.

The Bucs already have their rookie class as well as high profile free agents Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski to get up to speed, but they also acquired offensive lineman Joe Haeg as a free agent as well. Given the off-season restrictions the league is dealing with, the more players the Buccaneers have that are already familiar with the system, the better chance they have at early success in the 2020 season.