In the wake of Cam Gill’s foot injury, the Bucs have turned to a familiar face to reinforce their pass rushing depth. It was reported Monday that the team has signed Carl Nassib, who played with Tampa Bay in 2018 and 2019.

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles spoke about adding Nassib — who he coached in 2019 — after Tuesday’s practice.

“Carl’s tough in the run. When he played, when he was here with us, he’s a very good pass-rusher on the outside and he can also play inside in some nickel situations,” Bowles said. “He has a lot of versatility, he brings a lot of energy, brings a lot of toughness and he understands the system. He was comfortable in it. We look forward to him coming here.”

In 29 games (17 starts) with the Bucs, Nassib totaled 12.5 sacks, 20 tackles for loss, 25 quarterback hits, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He left in 2020, signing a three-year deal with the Raiders. Released from Las Vegas’ roster after two seasons, he now finds himself back in Tampa Bay.

Nassib Returns To Familiar Outside Linebacker Group

Nassib rejoins a couple of former teammates in Tampa Bay’s outside linebacker room. He played with both Shaq Barrett and Anthony Nelson in 2019. Barrett led the NFL with 19.5 sacks that year while Nelson got his feet wet in his rookie season.

Bucs OLB Anthony Nelson – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Nelson spoke Tuesday about what he remembers about the 29-year-old Nassib and their previous season together.

“I remember just how competitive he was. He played so hard for our defense, he really set the tone in a couple games there,” Nelson said. “Just the way he flies around and never gives up – he is just going to be a good addition to the room.”

Nelson and Nassib are very similar in terms of build. Nelson stands at 6-foot-7 and weighs in at 271 pounds, while Nassib is also 6-foot-7 and listed at 275 pounds. Given their similarities, Nelson had the chance to learn a lot from Nassib as a rookie three years ago.

“He just uses his long arms really well. That was something I definitely wasn’t doing to the best of my ability when I first got here – and he was able to use his length while still attacking,” Nelson said. “Just kind of that mindset and that approach to the game is one of the big things I’ve taken from him and tried to apply to my game in the past couple years.”

Nelson is coming off of a career year, posting five sacks in 2021. He played as the Bucs’ No. 4 pass rusher last year behind Barrett, Jason Pierre-Paul and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka. With Barrett and Tryon-Shoyinka locked into starting roles for 2022, Nelson slides into the No. 3 role. Though now, he’ll have a familiar presence right there with him in the rotation.