When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Randy Gregory to a one-year deal in April 2024, the move appeared to be a low-risk investment for added depth on the edge. But almost immediately, his absence became the story. Gregory skipped OTAs without explanation, and when minicamp arrived, he still hadn’t shown. Todd Bowles admitted publicly that he hadn’t heard from the veteran.

By training camp, the pattern was undeniable—Gregory remained absent, fines began to mount, and the Bucs moved him to the reserve/did-not-report list. Without a single rep or meeting appearance, the team released him in August. It wasn’t just about performance; it was about presence. Fast forward to 2025, and Todd Bowles and Co. almost had a déjà vu.

A few days into the free agency, the Bucs signed the former Jets‘ edge rusher, Haason Reddick, on a one-year, $14 million deal, in hopes of increasing their sack numbers this year. But the Bucs’ fans got a little curious when Reddick didn’t show up to the team’s OTAs this year. Just like Gregory did in the 2024 offseason.

Well, Reddick skipped the OTAs, no doubt. However, the head coach and the team weren’t concerned about Reddick’s absence at the OTAs. “I’m sure one of these days we’ll see him,” the head coach noted.

But now that Todd Bowles and Co. are gearing up for the mandatory mini-camp, the 30-year-old veteran edge rusher has decided to stop the ‘no show’ and is all set to participate in the team’s mandatory activities. After all, mandatory minicamp is mandatory. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport broke the news on his official ‘X’ handle. “New #Bucs edge Hassan (Haason) Reddick, who has not attended voluntary OTAs, is in the building in anticipation for mandatory minicamp, sources say,” Rapoport reported.

Entering the 2025 season, Reddick will now complement the Bucs’ edge room that includes outside linebacker YaYa Diaby’s power, Anthony Nelson’s 6-foot-7 length, last year’s second-round draft pick, Chris Braswell, and the rookie LB David Walker from Arkansas. The guy’s clearly out to change the narrative this time around after a frustrating run with the Jets last season.

Todd Bowles’s edge rusher isn’t going to repeat the 2024 season

Drafted by the Cardinals in the 2017 NFL draft with the 13th overall pick, Haason Reddick had a brief stint with the Eagles during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. And get this, the guy recorded his career-high 16.0 sacks in his first season in Philly, followed by another double-digit sack season a year later. But something strange happened with Reddick in the last season.

The Eagles traded him to the Jets, and let’s just say, everything went south from there. The guy still had one year left on his three-year, $45 million deal that he signed with the Eagles. And yes, the 30-year-old edge rusher was looking for a new contract. Did the Jets offer him one? Absolutely not. In fact, he first skipped the OTAs, followed by the Jets’ mandatory mini-camp.

Reddick was later slapped with a $50,861 fine for skipping two days of the minicamp. And the plot thickened from here. The New York team reportedly fined him another $100K for missing mandatory minicamp. The Jets traded for the guy in exchange for a conditional 2026 mid-round selection, but at the end of the day, it didn’t even matter.

Well, Reddick requested a trade back in October over the contract holdout that led him to miss out on the complete training camp and the initial phase of the regular season. After the contract dispute, the Jets finally permitted him to seek a trade. Haason Reddick wrapped up his one-season stint in New York with just 1.0 sack. Now that he’s under Todd Bowles’ leadership, one thing’s clear—the Bucs didn’t bring Reddick in to relive last season. The team’s looking for something better to rely on.