Bucs News: Buccaneers Head Coach Todd Bowles Gives Update On Absent Pass Rusher

The Buccaneers' veteran pass rusher didn't show up for offseason workouts or mandatory minicamp.

Mar 26, 2024; Orlando, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles speaks to the media during the NFL annual league meetings at the JW Marriott. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were rounding out the roster during the second wave of free agency, they landed on veteran outside linebacker Randy Gregory as someone who might push the young players on the team and could vie for a starting job. Things have appeared to change since then with the enigmatic edge rusher, who has been MIA since signing with the team.

While offseason workouts and OTA's are voluntary, Gregory skipped those and then proceeded to skip mandatory minicamp, which as the name implies, is mandatory. What makes it even stranger is that Gregory failed to reach out to the team and give a reason why he skipped the three days of practice. Those days were marked as an unexcused absence and subjected him to over $100,000 in fines.

Surely one would think Gregory has reached out to the Bucs and head coach Todd Bowles since then on why he missed mandatory practices, but in an interview with BucsGameday's own JC Allen on his most recent episode of The Pirate Parlay Podcast, Bowles gave an update on the missing pass rusher.

"We have not had any conversations," Bowles said. "I expect him to be here, but we'll see."

READ MORE: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2024 Training Camp Preview: Outside Linebacker

The message from Bowles has been the same since mandatory minicamp, with Gregory failing to reach out to the Bucs brass to let them know why he did not show up for spring practices.

He probably needs to show up with a loaded room at outside linebacker. Yaya Diaby will man one spot, but there is an open competition on the other side with front-runner Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, rookie Chris Braswell, Anthony Nelson and second-year players Markees Watts and Jose Ramirez all in the mix. The Bucs also have a pair of undrafted rookies vying for spots on the roster in Shaun Peterson Jr. and Daniel Grzesiak.

Gregory has had issues at multiple stops around the league including multiple suspensions with the Cowboys and an open lawsuit against the Broncos. He is now behind the rest of the outside linebacker room learning the playbook and the new wrinkles on defense and it still remains unknown if he plans to show up at all.

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