High-energy veteran defensive tackle and Super Bowl LV champion who rejoined Tampa Bay in 2026.
Rakeem Nunez-Roches is a longtime NFL interior defender out of Southern Miss and the first player born in Belize to be drafted into the league. He spent five seasons with the Buccaneers, including their Super Bowl LV run, before a stint with the Giants. He re-signed with Tampa Bay on a one-year deal in April 2026.
Path to the league
Nunez-Roches was a sixth-round pick out of Southern Miss in 2015 and the first Belize-born player ever drafted. He spent his first three seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs before joining the Buccaneers, where he was part of the Super Bowl LV championship team.
2025 season
Playing for the New York Giants in 2025, Nunez-Roches set a career high with three sacks and added three tackles for loss and four quarterback hits in nine games with five starts, per reporting. Ankle and toe injuries landed him on injured reserve for the rest of the season.
2026 outlook
Tampa Bay re-signed Nunez-Roches on a one-year deal in April 2026, reuniting the veteran with the franchise where he played from 2018 to 2022. He returns as a high-motor rotational presence on the defensive line.
Sources
- ESPN: Buccaneers re-signing DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches
- ESPN: Rakeem Nunez-Roches player page
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
9 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | giants | 9 | 23 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2024 | giants | 15 | 52 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2023 | giants | 16 | 26 | 14 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2022 | buccaneers | 17 | 33 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | buccaneers | 16 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | buccaneers | 16 | 20 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | buccaneers | 16 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2018 | buccaneers | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | chiefs | 16 | 24 | 13 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | chiefs | 11 | 23 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | chiefs | 7 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Defensive Tackle
- Group
- defense
- College
- Southern Miss
- Hometown
- DANGRIGA, Belize
- Age
- 32
- Status
- active
