Buccaneers 2016 Off-Season Thread

[Milla4Prez63 678]

So, it's year three for Jason Licht on the job as general manager in Tampa Bay. He started it off with a splash with the surprise firing of Lovie Smith and promotion of Dirk Koetter and will look to add to a roster that showed signs of improvement in 2015.

List of Unrestricted free agents
22 RB Doug Martin
23 DB Chris Conte
24 DB Mike Jenkins
26 DB Sterling Moore
37 DB Keith Tandy
43 RB Robby Rainey
57 DE Larry English
77 DT Tony McDaniel
90 DT Henry Melton
91 DE Da'Quan Bowers

List of Restricted free agents
30 DB Bradley McDougald
46 FB Jorvorskie Lane
51 LB Danny Lansanah
89 WR Russell Sheppard

List of Exclusive Rights free agents
48 LS Andrew DePaola
52 LB Jeremiah George
56 DE Jacquies Smith
96 DE T.J. Fatinikun

[BucD+ 648]

I want Doug back, but not at too high of a price. He is, afterall, a RB and at 27 yo at that. If a team throws a dump load of cash at him, sign Ivory to a year or two deal and either draft a RB in the mid to late rounds if one falls in your lap that you really like. Or, wait until next year. I think Licht has his position/player values set and made his offer to Doug's agent. Doug's going to test FA which is fair. He could be back.

 

**EDIT: Nevermind Ivory. I didn't know CJ Anderson was a FA. He is very similar to Doug Martin, IMO, and he's younger. Bet he'll take a deal similar to what Licht is offering Doug.**

 

I guess Charles Johnson is coming in for a visit. He would be a nice pick up at a decent price. He's been good and was out most of this past season, but when he came back to the playoffs, he put up some decent numbers.

 

Draft wise...I am still on the Noah Spence bandwagon. I trust Licht at this point, especially when it comes to the draft. If he doesn't take Soence at 9 then either there is someone else he likes better or Soence didn't check off enough boxes to make Licht feel comfortable. Either way, I'm good with it.

 

If Licht is not good with Spence and Buckner, Ramsey, Bosa aren't there (most likely won't) then Licht should trade down if he can get any offers.

Edited March 7, 2016 by BucD

[Bucman 891]

I'm not huge in bringing Doug back for a lot of money. Running backs are easy to find and I believe Sims is a good enough back for 1 year stop gap.

[BucD+ 648]

I think Sims is really good in his role. Not digging him as a #1 guy. I've been a Mike James fan. When he's had to takeover the lead role, he's done really well. He and Sims could be a good 1-2 for at least a year.

 

Not a big fan of Rainey.

[Milla4Prez63 678]

Logan Mankins announced his retirement, the Bucs now have a gaping hole at LG.

[Thanatos 2,847]

Charles definitely still has something left, just not worth 11.5 million dollars.

[Milla4Prez63 678]

Players with reported interest from the Bucs
DE Charles Johnson (scheduled to visit)
OG J.R. Sweezy
OG Nate Chandler
OT Mitchell Schwartz
RB Chris Ivory
RB Lamar Miller

[Milla4Prez63 678]

Official transactions as of 03/09/2016 6 p.m.
Released LB Bruce Carter
Re-signed S Keith Tandy, undisclosed numbers
Re-signed RB Doug Martin, 5 years 35 million
Signed OG J.R. Sweezy, undisclosed numbers

[BucD+ 648]

Apparently like half the damn league wanted Sweezy. Probably why we ended up paying so much

[Milla4Prez63 678]

Bucs with a pair of defensive FA signings today, CB Brent Grimes and DE Robert Ayers.

[BucD+ 648]

Pass rush is still a major need and it's a pretty good year to address that in a deep DL draft class.

[Bucman 891]

Both are good stop gap adds. Ayers is now our best DE by far.

[Milla4Prez63 678]

I don't think Ayers is going to match or top the 9.5 sacks he had last year, but we needed some help at DE for sure. He's a decent pickup. Overpaid for sure but that's bound to happen if you want to sign anyone in the first few days of FA. I like the gamble on Grimes, he isn't top corner material anymore but he can still play and make plays on the ball. We need and still need a big shakeup at corner so I'm happy to bring him in. His wife not as much but hopefully she doesn't cause problems.

[BucD+ 648]

At nine overall, I like Noah Spence, Shaq Lawson or Rankins the DT from Louisville. From what I've read (not just PR lol) and seen, he could be special along the lines of Aaron Donald. Maybe not AS good, but close. Dark horse prick, Leonard Floyd from Georgia.

 

Of course I really like Bosa, Jack, Ramsey and Buckner, but highly unlikely any of them will be available when we pick.

 

I would actually like to see us come out of this draft with at least two DL and both drafted somewhat early.

[Milla4Prez63 678]

We need to draft mainly defense. I don't want to ignore the offense, but we've been ignoring the defense in our attempts to beef up the offense. It's just kind of funny to go from drafting all offense with a defensive minded coach in Lovie to drafting all defense with an offensive minded coach in Koetter. I'm not sure what kind of FAs are available, but some more vet depth at WR would be nice...

[Milla4Prez63 678]

Bucs re-sign Chris Conte on a 1 year deal.

[Milla4Prez63 678]

Bucs sign CB Josh Robinson to a 1 year deal. The corner position is getting quite a shake up this offseason.

[Vin+ 3,121]

 

Buccaneers signed LB Daryl Smith, formerly of the Ravens, to a one-year contract.

Now 34, Smith remained a 16-game starter for the Ravens last season, but his play began to take a dive. The Bucs have one of the league's thinner linebacker corps, but Smith would ideally be a reserve. Durability and leadership figure to be his Tampa calling cards. For what it's worth, he's reuniting with Mike Smith, who was the Jaguars' defensive coordinator the first four years of Smith's career.

Source: Adam Schefter on Twitter

[Milla4Prez63 678]

Another guy on defense who has played under Mike Smith.

[BucD+ 648]

He's been pretty good still these last few years and he's coming in as the Sam backer so he won't be asked to do as much. He brings a lot of veteran experience and leadership.

 

Solid signing, IMO.

 

So far I like what Licht has done, on paper, this offseason. Looking forward to the draft as always

[Vin+ 3,121]

 

Buccaneers signed P Bryan Anger, formerly of the Jaguars, to a one-year contract.

The Jaguars laughably took Anger with the 70th overall pick in the 2012 draft. New $85 million RE Olivier Vernon was picked two selections after Anger by the Dolphins, and Russell Wilson was snagged by the Seahawks at No. 75 overall. Anger set rookie records for gross average and net average in 2012, but he came in 21st in net average last season.

Source: Adam Caplan on Twitter

 

[Milla4Prez63 678]

Anger can compete with Jake Schum for the punting job, a little competition didn't hurt anyone. Even at punter.

[Milla4Prez63 678]

So with FA going quiet, the focus of the offseason turns to the draft. I'm bored before work so I'm just going to go in depth about how this roster looks and where the Bucs can look in the draft for help.

Quarterback
With Jameis Winston becoming the new sheriff in town, things are finally quiet on questions involving the starting QB gig in Tampa Bay. However, one of the bigger unanswered questions of the offseason is what the Bucs decide to do with Mike Glennon. Despite early protests from Jason Licht claiming that he had no interest in moving the backup QB, there have been recent rumors to suggest otherwise. After being a 3rd round pick of the previous regime in 2013, Glennon is entering the final year of his rookie deal and everything points to him bolting for another team with a bigger opening at the QB position. If he were to sign a deal elsewhere at a decent price, the Bucs could receive a compensation draft pick from the league. But if a team is desperate enough for help now, the Bucs could easily move him for a draft pick rather than risk him just leaving. Dirk Koetter was developing Ryan Griffin as the 3rd QB last year and the Bucs supposedly believe he could be a serviceable backup, but I feel like there will be veteran FAs the Bucs could look at later if Glennon is moved during the draft.

Running back
The duo of Doug Martin and Charles Sims was one of the more successful RB tandems in the NFL last season. Now with Martin signing a long term deal to stay in Tampa Bay, the hope is we can expect more of the same, if not better production in 2016. It looks like the Bucs are finally moving on from Bobby Rainey, leaving Mike James as the 3rd back on the roster. James has been with the Bucs since 2013 with very minimal production, so it's possible that a late round pick could be used on someone with fresh legs to compete for that roster spot. As for the fullback position, the Bucs are moving on from free agent Javorskie Lane but it is unknown how much of an emphasis Koetter will actually have on a FB. I think it's likely that tight end Luke Stocker sees a lot of snaps in the backfield in a FB role.

Wide Receiver
I think receiver may be one of the more interesting positions on this roster right now. Despite having more yards than his rookie season, Mike Evans disappointed in a lot of areas last season and is showing issues with drops. Vincent Jackson is now 33 years old and is entering the final year of that monster free agent contract he signed with the Buccaneers in 2012. Speaking of which, real quickly on a off-topic manner, it is really cool to see a big name free agent actually finish out his contract for once. It's rare to sign someone and actually get the production you looked for. But again, he is older now and even if he plays well in 2016 I expect him to look at leaving for a better chance of winning a Super Bowl in free agency. Louis Murphy is a solid player to have in that slot role, but he can never stay healthy and is unreliable because of it. Undrafted rookies Adam Humphries and Dontea Dye played way too big of roles last year with injuries. The Bucs really need some depth here and I'm disappointed we've done nothing so far. I expect us to draft at least one WR somewhere. Probably not very early, but I expect a drafted rookie to come in and compete. Also, last year's 5th round pick Kenny Bell will try and get healthy and compete for a job after having his rookie season lost to injury.

Tight End
In 2014 the Bucs spent a 2nd round pick on Austin Seferian-Jenkins to be their new receiving threat at TE. Unfortunately, so far ASJ has not been able to stay healthy. Two years in the league, he only has one season of work (16 games) to his credit. In those 16 games he's managed 42 catches for 559 yards and 6 touchdowns. Not horrible numbers, but him not being on the field and the high expectations he had are not looking good on him. Harvard grad Cameron Brate showed a lot while ASJ was sidelined. While lacking the explosive ability ASJ had, he proved to be a more reliable target for Jameis Winston and was able to stay healthy. I expect the two to have an even battle for snaps in training camp and it wouldn't shock me if the underdog Brate stole some of the highly drafted youngster's thunder once again. Veteran Brandon Myers is still on the team, but after having a very minute role in 2015 and scoring no touchdowns in two seasons in Tampa Bay you have to wonder if his job is safe after preseason. Especially since Luke Stocker has more flexibility as a blocker and could manage a dual role as a TE/FB like mentioned earlier.

Offensive Line
One of the biggest surprise of the 2015 Buccaneers was the offensive line play. After having arguably the worst line in the NFL in 2014, two rookies and a new offensive coordinator made a giant difference for the Bucs. With Donovan Smith and Ali Marpet playing well as rookies at LT and RG respectively, you hope to see them mature and play even better in 2016. The retirement of Logan Mankins put the Bucs in a position to find a replacement, which they did in signing free agent J.R. Sweezy to slide into LG. Joe Hawley played surprisingly well at center last year after being brought in late in the game. He can be considered the favorite to start at center again, but the fact that Evan Smith has yet to be cut tells me that the Bucs may not be 100% sold just yet. Dirk Koetter has publicly said Demar Dotson will enter the offseason program as the team's starting RT. Which is good news after his 2015 season was pretty much a scratch with Lovie Smith refusing to play him after getting healthy. Gosder Cherilus remains on the roster, and young Kevin Pamphile is a versatile lineman that the team likes for depth. I fully expect the Bucs to draft offensive line depth at some point later in the draft, maybe even as early as the 4th round depending on who is available. Offensive line is always a place where injuries kill this team, so depth will be key, especially with two reserves (Smith and Cherilus) being veterans who may not be long for this team.

I'll do a write up for the defensive side of the ball later.

Edited April 1, 2016 by Milla4Prez63

[Milla4Prez63 678]

Defensive side of the ball look at the Buccaneers' roster.

Defensive End
The Bucs have not had a player put up double digit sacks in a season since Simeon Rice did it back in 2005. A decade has passed without a pass rusher coming in and putting up just at least 10 sacks in Tampa Bay. The closest someone has gotten was DT Gerald McCoy in 2013 when he came just short at 9.5 sacks. The closest an actual DE has gotten was Michael Bennett in 2012 with 9 sacks. It's not for a lack of trying, the Bucs have spent two first round picks on the position but watched both Gaines Adams and Adrian Clayborn fail to pan out. The Bucs also invested a lot of money into Michael Johnson a few years ago and were disappointed with the final result. While there are some solid guys at the position like Jacquies Smith and William Gholston, the Bucs still lack a true pass rusher on the edge. The team went out and added veteran Robert Ayers through free agency, but DE still remains a top priority need. If one is not selected in the first two rounds of the draft, I'd be stunned. It's sad to think how many years of Gerald McCoy's prime the Buccaneers are wasting with the garbage DEs we keep putting out next to him. Not to mention the one guy we had who was actually any good we let just walk out the door and watched him win a Super Bowl in Seattle.

Defensive Tackle
This could arguably be the Bucs' strongest position. While some depth guys like Henry Melton and Tony McDaniel seem destined to not be re-signed the Bucs still have a perennial Pro Bowler and one of the league's best with Gerald McCoy. Clinton McDonald and Akeem Spence rounding out things is very nice as well. However, injuries hit hard last year so it wouldn't shock me if we spent a late round pick on a depth guy. Especially since Spence's rookie contract is up after 2016 and it wouldn't shock me if the Bucs decided letting him walk and replacing him with another guy on a rookie deal was the better call like they did with Roy Miller. But having versatile guys who can play DT to give guys breathers like Gholston and Ayers helps a lot too.

Linebacker
The Bucs feel good about Lavonte David and Kwon Alexander, but who else starts at LB? Danny Lansanah has started the past two seasons under Lovie Smith, but the Bucs decided not to tender him as a RFA feeling he wasn't a fit in Mike Smith's new defense. The Bucs signed veteran Daryl Smith, but at his age is he still productive enough to start? You'd have to hope so or else you're looking at someone like Jeremiah George or Josh Keyes starting, and that sounds ugly. It's entirely possible the Bucs draft some help here, but I doubt it's early. I think Tampa Bay views the 34 year old Daryl Smith as a 1 year stopgap with familiarity with Mike Smith. But it's something to keep an eye on. I wish the Bucs would give free agent Zach Brown a look, he was a high draft pick of the Titans that didn't pan out but on a cheap deal for depth and competition sign me up.

Cornerback
It's crazy to see how much of a mess this team is at corner when they are two years removed from straight up cutting arguably the greatest corner this league has seen since Deion Sanders. The mess of the CB position is no doubt Lovie Smith's biggest failure. After deciding to cut Darrelle Revis to use his salary number to add more players to the team, only to see said players flame horribly and be cut a year later, things are looking rough. Alterraun Verner hasn't panned out like the Bucs have hoped, but maybe a new system in 2016 can bring him back to his former Pro Bowl form. Johnthan Banks has also been up and down since being a 2nd round pick in 2013 and now he's entering the final year of his rookie deal in a huge make or break season for his career. Depth guys Sterling Moore and Mike Jenkins appear to be done in Tampa Bay and in their place come free agents Brent Grimes and Josh Robinson. Grimes is a player Bucs fans should know well from his days with the Falcons as a Pro Bowl corner. However, now 33, you have to wonder how much he has left in the tank. But he is obviously familiar with Mike Smith so that is comforting. Just like with DE, I'd be stunned if a corner wasn't selected with one of our first two picks.

Safety
It's crazy to think the Bucs may once again go with the Chris Conte and Bradley McDougald duo at safety in 2016. While their play wasn't flat out miserable, and Conte surprisingly put together a nice season, the position certainly can be upgraded. Keith Tandy was also re-signed as a depth guy, being the only depth caliber free agent the Bucs actually chose to bring back. I think safety is a position the Bucs could be looking at in the draft, but there are bigger needs on defense for 2016. But of course, it all depends on what players are available when Tampa Bay goes on the clock.

[Milla4Prez63 678]

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 2016 NFL Draft class:

11.Vernon Hargreaves III, DB, Florida
39.Noah Spence, DE, Eastern Kentucky
59.Roberto Aguayo, K, Florida State
108.Ryan Smith, DB, North Carolina Central
148.Caleb Benenoch, OT, UCLA
183.Devante Bond, LB, Oklahoma
197.Dan Vitale, FB, Northwestern

I like it. We addressed our two biggest needs (CB, DE) right off the bat with honestly the prospects at each position that fit best here. The Aguayo thing is not pretty, but we won't have to worry about kicking anymore. I like the upside of our day 3 picks too. Especially this Vitale dude, with Javorskie Lane gone this guy has a clear path to playing time and he was a unique weapon at Northwestern.