Gosder Cherilus to Buccaneers: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

Looking to bolster their offensive line depth, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers agreed to a contract with veteran offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus on Monday.

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com first reported the two-year deal, with Jenna Laine of Sports Talk Florida confirming he signed with the team while adding he "could be a big help with Demar Dotson's injury." 

The deal is worth $7 million, earning $2.5 million in 2015 and $4.5 million in 2016, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.

Head coach Lovie Smith spoke about Cherilus, saying the team needed help on the offensive line and "it was good a player like Cherlius" was available, per Stroud.

Cherilus, 31, was released by the Indianapolis Colts in July. Signed to a massive five-year deal before the 2013 season, Cherilus struggled and was cut in large part so the Colts could preserve their long-term cap space; they actually lost money on their 2015 cap by cutting him.   

"Gosder is very healthy, very much in shape and very much looking forward to the season," Cherilus' agent, Greg Diulus, told ESPN.com's Mike Wells. "He did what he was supposed to do. He visited the doctors this week, and he passed everything with flying colors."

Though Cherilus was not as sought after as when he landed in Indy, it was only a matter of time before he signed with a team. He met with the Buccaneers after Dotson went down with an MCL injury, according to Rapoport (h/t Pro Football Talk's Josh Alper), lending credence to the notion that he was waiting for the right potential starting gig to pop up.     

Whether he's up to being a league-average offensive tackle is another question entirely.

Cherilus ranked 70th among 84 qualifying offensive tackles last season, according to Pro Football Focus' grading system. He ranked outside the top 60 in both pass blocking and run blocking, so it's not as if there is an easy fix. On the bright side, Cherilus was only called for four penalties totaling 25 yards all season—though that's not exactly a building-block statistic.

Tampa Bay will hope at least part of Cherilus' struggles were injury-related. He battled injuries throughout the 2014 campaign before eventually being put on injured reserve with a groin injury, forcing him to miss the team's run to the AFC Championship Game.

At this point in his career, Cherilus isn't going to be an elite talent. He's at best a stopgap, someone the Buccaneers hope can fill in adequately enough to not get rookie quarterback Jameis Winston killed in the pocket. If he can't fill that role, odds are Cherilus might be looking for work again sooner rather than later.