Bucs make it official: Buckner is D-line coach

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Wednesday made official what had been widely reported on Monday by announcing that Brentson Buckner has joined the Bucs' staff as defensive line coach.

Buckner spent the last five seasons working as the defensive line coach for the Arizona Cardinals (2013-17).

Buckner replaces Jay Hayes, who was fired on Feb. 9 after the Buccaneers finished last in the NFL in sacks with 22 in 2017. The last Tampa Bay player to reach double digits in sacks in a season was Simeon Rice in 2005.

"Brentson enjoyed a very good career as a player in this league and more recently as a successful coach with the Cardinals," Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter said in a statement. "Over the years, one of the areas that really stood out to me was Brentson's ability to get the best out of all his players. He's worked with some highly rated players who have achieved great success under his coaching, but what is most impressive to me has been his ability to consistently develop some lesser known players into very productive contributors on a top defensive line unit."