It had become plainly obvious that the BuffaloBills needed nose tackle reinforcement behind Deone Walker — and now they have it by way of a veteran signing.
Per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Bills have agreed to a deal with Greg Gaines.
Free agent defensive lineman Greg Gaines is signing with the Buffalo Bills, per source.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) August 18, 2026
Seven-year vet spent the last three years with the Bucs. pic.twitter.com/yNJ8YJdHXA
Gaines entered the NFL as a fourth-round pick by the Los Angeles Rams in 2019. He won a Super Bowl with the club that year, which is also when a set a career high in pressures with 38 (including the postseason) on 476 pass-rushing snaps.
A gritty yet nimble nose tackle at a stocky 6’1” and 312 pounds, Gaines then played on three-consecutive one-year deals with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2023 to 2025.
Altogether, Gaines has appeared in 108 regular season games, nine postseason contests, and averages 29 tackles, a little over two sacks, and three tackles for loss per year. He’s only played more than 500 snaps (counting the playoffs) in two seasons — 2021 and 2022. Gaines was teammates with Bills outside linebacker Michael Hoecht from 2020 to 2022 with the Rams.
Gaines turned 30 in May and appeared on 35.3% of Tampa Bay’s defensive snaps in 2025 when he made 23 tackles, two sacks, and three tackles for loss.