Weapons For Winston
January 9th, 2017
Help them! (Photo courtesy of Buccaneers.com.)
So just what do the Bucs do to get a receiver?
Do the Bucs go the free agency route? Or do they drop a first or a second round pick? Or both?
Whatever it is, Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht needs to beef up the receiver corps writes Jenna Laine of ESPN.com.
Where are the weapons for Jameis Winston? There’s a big drop-off from Evans and tight end Cameron Brate to the rest of Winston’s receiving weapons. The Bucs need to keep surrounding him with bona fide talent.
It’s easy for Joe to agree. Now if Licht goes free agency, there is little top-shelf talent available. Desean Jackson is coming off an impressive 1,000-yard season on just 56 catches. And yeah, Alshon Jeffery might be great, but he’s a roll of the dice. He’s dinged up enough to raise a red flag, not to mention his banned-substance suspension. If he gets popped again, he would be lost for half a season.
Perhaps for that reason alone Jeffery could be had at a discount, but can he be trusted? The Bucs are already dealing with the very same issue with an oft-injured running back.
Might it be better if the Bucs get good depth at receiver in free agency and try to find a burner in the draft who can stretch the field and return kicks?
January 9th, 2017 at 11:05 am
I’m all for a combined approach. Djax would be fine in my book. But I’d go after Pryor if the price was right, so much Potential and talent. I’d Sign Cordarelle patterson as a Return Specialist. And Draft Corey Davis/O.J. Howard in the First round.
If somehow those actions came to fruition, We’d have #Weapons For Winston galore.
January 9th, 2017 at 11:10 am
Pierre Garcon
Kamar Aiken
Kendal Wright
Garcon could step in and be immediate #2. If not him then Aiken/ Wright could push for #2 and at worst be very solid #3 options to go with Hump.
If we want speed we could sign
Cordarelle Patterson
Marquis Goodwin
Desean Jackson
I like Djax but not sure what the history is of small 30 year old burner WRs and when they drop off? Goodwin / Patterson both have speed & talent but never had good QBs.
January 9th, 2017 at 11:11 am
Oops forgot Pryor. If he’s mentally good (I really don’t know much about him in that regard) i’d think he’d be the ideal #2 as he’s still young & improving and just put up 1000 yards
January 9th, 2017 at 11:15 am
Garcon would be solid, Wright as well. Not sure about Kamar Aiken…
Another guy to look out for that could be really good for us is Andre Holmes. He’s been Derrick Carrs favorite Target for like 3 years now. And he was the only receiver making Plays for Oakland vs Houston this past Saturday. He could probably be a really decent number 2 guy.
January 9th, 2017 at 11:24 am
All of the yak yakking about weapons for Mr. Winston, be it a RB or a WR will be worth what if we do not stop the Defense from being in the back field before the hand-off or the 2-3rd step in a 5 step drop. We can all agree that Mr. Winston needs more weapons. But a stouted productive nasty Oline will be a fantastic weapon in their own
January 9th, 2017 at 11:29 am
Really hope we can grab miami TE David Njoku somewhere in the mid rounds. 6’4, 245lbs of athletic freak. Most importantly the kid is a baller. Had the Canes beat FSU and North Carolina, he would be a 1st rounder right now. Scary to think of the ways Koetter could use him with Cam Brate. Hopefully he doesn’t light up the combine, he could be our next Kwon Alexander!
January 9th, 2017 at 11:31 am
Brace yourself, here come the Pryor, Gordon, memes.
I’d like to trade for Rashard Greene or Tyler Boyd.
January 9th, 2017 at 11:31 am
“Andre Holmes”
Thought about him too but saw in a mock draft Oakland taking a WR because they said Holmes was the worst rated slot WR in the NFL or something which threw me off. I haven’t seen enough Oakland games to have much of an opinion on him.
Also to RustyRhinos – I agree on wanting to upgrade the O-line if we can but the stars just don’t seem to align for much. This draft is not top heavy at all with O-line – there may not even be a single guy any team would feel comfortable projecting as their starting LT next year; and maybe just a few interior lineman graded as potential 1st rounders.
FA isn’t great either for O-line. We should sign a T for depth worst case so that we never see Cherilus play again. Dude needs to retire for his own sake.
I think we could potentially sign a C & RT in FA but I won’t be surprised if we just sign a RT and that’s it for the line. D Smith is staying at LT. Marpet & Pamphile likely stay on the interior; and we have young guys in Goddschalk / Benecoch that have flashed potential. If Sweezy returns then I doubt they even do anything beyond RT and just see how the youth & talent plays out next year. This line with Logan Mankins was a top 5 rushing unit in 2015 so it’s not like they don’t have the potential to play better.
January 9th, 2017 at 11:32 am
Maybe we should get Jameis a tazzer to defend himself behind that Oline.
January 9th, 2017 at 11:32 am
@RustyRhinos
http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/free-agents/offensive-line/
Sorry but you take whats available. Every O-line Prospects tape I’ve watched so far has appeared to be exceedingly average. By my estimation there isn’t one worth taking in round number 1.
And in FA we could Target G T.J. Lang, but I doubt he leaves Green Bay.
We could go after G Ron Leary, but Its gonna take a lot of cash to pry him away from Dallas. And the problem with both of them is they play guard and would require us to shuffle guys around. I really want to believe that Ali Marpet can move to Center no problem, but I don’t know if he Can.
About the Only FA O-lineman that is realistic for us is RT Byron Bell, he might be better than Dotson, but he might not be. Either way he’s an Upgrade over Cherilus at back-up RT.
You can’t just ignore talent Level because you WANT to have a great O-line.
I WANT a smash mouth physically dominant O-line, but the options aren’t there.
January 9th, 2017 at 11:33 am
One reciever that I dont think the titans would be dumb enough yo not extend…but if they were , would be Rishard Matthews.
Thats guy is on the level of Jatvis Landry and damn near odel . Hes the best underrated wr in the league. He woukd be what this offense needs and he is a fa as of right now.
Maybe Kenny stills but I dont think he is a solid no 2….maybe a low 2
Rishard is my wish list candidate
January 9th, 2017 at 11:36 am
OL first and foremost and then I would be pumped on getting T Pryor through FA….
January 9th, 2017 at 11:36 am
“I’d like to trade for Rashard Greene or Tyler Boyd”
Would love Greene although he seems best suited for the slot in the NFL vs being a full time outside WR. He couldn’t crack #3 on the depth chart behind Robinson/Hurns/Lee so I doubt he’d cost much of anything in a trade. He’d be better than everyone else we have behind Humphries.
Tyler Boyd isn’t going anywhere because he was just drafted last year.
This offseason is nuts because I could see us going so many directions. I wouldn’t be surprised if we picked a S / WR / RB / TE / O-line / D-line / CB round 1 – you could justify any of those positions and the available talent
January 9th, 2017 at 11:39 am
“You can’t just ignore talent Level because you WANT to have a great O-line.
I WANT a smash mouth physically dominant O-line, but the options aren’t there.”
Agree. Going into the 2014 draft everyone said it was a good deep draft for O-line which worked out great for us with Smith & Marpet in round 2.
This year it seems WR / CB / D-line are deep while the top QBs are sketchy and the O-line prospects aren’t exciting. RB always appears to have options every year in the mid to late rounds.
January 9th, 2017 at 11:39 am
@rusty…I hear you….I think protecting Winston should be the top priority….if Winston had a wall in front of him, he would have all day for one of our slow wr’s to get open…and they would provide holes for our rb to run thru….with that said you cant ignore the lack of weapons….
@lord…I would love k.aiken and p.garcon….I agree with you regarding d.jax….he has the talent but will he start to decline is the question in a year or 2?….
I the draft I hope we get either corey davis or dede westbrook….GO BUCS!!!!
January 9th, 2017 at 11:40 am
Joe I hope the bucs pick up a reciever or 2 in the draft…there seem to be plenty good ones in this draft ….most of the draft picks are cheaper than picking up a 5 or 6 year veteran. ..therefore if he’s a bust it want cost the bucs like M. Johnson and a few OL did…but anyway I am just a fan Licht have a better view and understandin of what’s goingn he’s the GM
January 9th, 2017 at 11:47 am
DUI be darned…I’m still full on the “give Michael Floyd a look” bandwagon. Dude has the talent to fill VJax’s role if the Bucs decide to make a business decision to not resign VJax, and Floyd can probably be had for a bargain (unless he lights it up with the Patriots in the post season). They’ll still need a flat out speed guy as well, but so far the Bucs seem to like the big bodied athletic guys with a big catch radius and good enough speed (which is what Floyd is). I think that would free the Bucs to draft bpa vs possibly reaching for need.
January 9th, 2017 at 11:48 am
^^^correction…decide to release VJax
January 9th, 2017 at 11:51 am
@BLAKE says, “We could go after G Ron Leary, but Its gonna take a lot of cash to pry him away from Dallas.”….
not really….he wants to start and he’s currently a back up…once la’el Collins returns he’s back to the bench…plus they just signed a former 1st round pick who can play g/t because they are assuming leary walks…he would be my top target…imagine d.smith, r.leary and a.marpet on one side….that would be nasty…GO BUCS!!!
January 9th, 2017 at 11:54 am
I like dede westbrook out OU. He has the speed this offense is in need of and he has pretty good production. Hopefully we address the Dline and Oline in FA. and add depth to said lines via draft.
January 9th, 2017 at 12:01 pm
http://www.ourlads.com/nfldepthcharts/depthchart/DAL
Leary Starts at left guard dude. I vividly remember him Stonewalling GMC 1v1 in the Dallas game.
January 9th, 2017 at 12:01 pm
But I agree with you that it would be awesome to have him.
January 9th, 2017 at 12:02 pm
Does everyone think were “OK” at TE?? weird that there is no talk of upgrading that position as well!!!!!!!
January 9th, 2017 at 12:07 pm
Need to be careful if we get WR from free agency . Don’t need a cancer in the locker room.. But we do need to have one that has a good idea what it is to catch a pass in the NFL. Would like to see us get a WR in the draft as well.
January 9th, 2017 at 12:09 pm
Realist
We have Alex Cross what more do we need?
January 9th, 2017 at 12:09 pm
@The Buc Realist I’ve been actively Lobbying for O.J. Howard in the first round.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgGCLCBwzHU
Kid is a beast. 6’6 255 Jimmy Graham-esque receiving tight end, but is also being Lauded as the best Blocking Tight end in the same breath. I’ve watched a few of his game tapes, and its true, he manhandles DE’s on a regular basis and willingly blocks his butt off all game long.
January 9th, 2017 at 12:12 pm
Need a running back too. Doug’s shelf life is running out and is one more Molly away from not being on the team anyway.
January 9th, 2017 at 12:19 pm
I say we just roll the dice on V-Jax and Louis Murphy again.
January 9th, 2017 at 12:19 pm
@Realist- It’d be a mistake to think that we don’t need upgrades at MOST positions, IMO. We have to start somewhere though. Count me in to the WR 1st crew.
The man needs weapons!
January 9th, 2017 at 12:20 pm
@BigPoppaBuc Yeah because that didnt just blow up in our faces this past year…
January 9th, 2017 at 12:23 pm
@Blake_bucsfan
I like the ideal of OJ Howard in the first round. If he is gone by 19 pick. We can get TE Jeremy Sprinkle in later rounds
January 9th, 2017 at 12:26 pm
I think the way Winston and Evans balled this season is enough for any wide reciever to want to come play with Winston.if desean Jackson and alshon Jeffrey did it with mediocre qbs then they would be tempted at what and were Winston can take them.Winston could put Jackson in the top 5 and revive Jeffreys career to show he still has it.any chance we could land both?
January 9th, 2017 at 12:28 pm
@ realist
Quite a few have said TE could be upgraded. It’s not as dire as WR tho imo where we don’t have a capable #2 period. Stocker / Myers are better at TE than Freddie Martino is at WR if that makes sense.
I’ve alredy laid out my initial steroid to the d*ck offensive upgrade plans:
-sign Pierre Garcon (#2 WR)
-sign a RT
-draft OJ Howard round 1
-draft Dede Westbrook round 2
-draft a RB in mid rounds – ideally a power back
Mike Evans / Pierre Garcon / Dede Westbrook / Adam Humphries
OJ Howard / Cam Brate
draft pick RB / Quiz Rodgers / Charles Sims
That’s plenty of weapons and skill sets
January 9th, 2017 at 12:30 pm
lt-d.smith….
lg-r.leary….
c-a.marpet….
rg_____,c.benecoch or k.pamphile…..
rt-k.pamphile or _________….
@realist….howard is good…but I like Jeremy sprinkle-6’5 from Arkansas and bucky hodges 6’7 from Virginia tech….j. sprinkle is the better blocker of the 2 but hodges use to be a wr….both can be had in later rounds and make an immediate impact…..GO BUCS!!!!
January 9th, 2017 at 12:38 pm
@Cornelius That would be sick dude. No funny Business, But i’d prolly need to Change clothes from over excitement if all that went down.
January 9th, 2017 at 12:41 pm
Give me Roberts Woods (still only 24) as FA. Woods would be stellar in Tampa as the #2, add in Derel Walker (dude from the CFL) and the position is fixed with young but experienced/professional WRs for Winston. Maybe add a guy in the draft or an Andre Roberts at KR.
January 9th, 2017 at 1:46 pm
Kenny Britt would be a good weapon. Plus we just signed that WR from Canada. We need to just release VJAX
January 9th, 2017 at 2:16 pm
Kenny Stills could be a reasonably priced FA to bring in.
January 9th, 2017 at 2:43 pm
@HFXBUX, I forgot that Robert Woods was a FA. He is a very skilled route runner. He also has good speed and hands. He just has had bad QB is whole time in Buf.
January 9th, 2017 at 2:46 pm
Imagine if ME had 4.4 speed? Imagine if ME was able to lineup alongside another receiver with 4.4 speed and his size.
Can you say Terrelle Pryor? If we do not grab this guy then since I’m a Licht supporter I’m going to assume that Pryor’s mental issues must have interfered.
If he’s the real deal $$$ shouldn’t be an issue!!! We not only have cap space we’ve already paid VJAX a ton for little production.
My fear is that since Pryor is coming off his rookie deal and his first chance at some money he’s going to get paid! I’m OK with that but what happens to ME playing alongside him at the end of his rookie contract making less than the #2?
Are these guys mature enough to realize that’s just the nature of the beast?
Is Pryor mature enough to realize that ME is the NUMBER ONE guy he’s the the #2? That’s all for Licht to figure out.
But physically…this is a no brainer. Kid got 1000 yards on the crappiest team in the league and he’s just now learning to run routes. It was his first year as WR and with Moncken and the rest to work with him his upside is huge.
Again…just imagine…ME on one side…on the other side a great athlete 6-4 225 who can smoke a 4.4 40 who has starred under the big lights of a national championship game just like our QB!
Two national champion QB’s on one team and if DK wants to play with double passes or any kind of trickeration he would certainly have the tools.
January 9th, 2017 at 3:02 pm
This time of year is usually depressing because we’re looking at high draft picks. This year feels more like there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. That said, I hope there’s a plan. We’ve laid a foundation and now we need to build with the best building materials available AND that match the blueprint (sorry for the construction analogy!).
Lets not get enamored with whatever player or whatever name just because it’s a name that’s recognizable. This has to go beyond that. We’ve had the ‘other’ mentality and it didn’t work.
Pryor’s a good example Stpete. He has all the skills and intangibles, BUT, where’s his head? It’s a question that needs to be asked up and down the roster, draft, and free-agency; Will he make a good Buc?
Get Jameis weapons!
January 9th, 2017 at 3:18 pm
Lord I would love that scenario. Add Leary to lg move market to center let pamphile have all off season at lt. this is all hoping sneezy comes back strong to hold down the RG spot. Line would be set
January 9th, 2017 at 3:20 pm
Scroll alert…pre warning so you have no excuse to berate me for boring you. 🙂
Every year when we reach the draft debates I think of some of my Army buddies in Thailand.
Life was good…you went into the club…picked out your girl…she had a red badge with a number on it..you checked at the back of the club…her number would be followed by a date….the last time she was inspected for the clap or syphilis by a U.S. Army doc. Yep boys that’s how we spend tax dollars in wartime. They not only spent money to help us fight VC in the ‘Nam…they spent tax money to help us fight VD in Thailand. LMAO Gotta love it!
There were always some guys who just couldn’t decide…wow she looks good…that one looks good….bottom line…you can’t have them all guys.
If we could have all the draft picks we fantasize I’d be buying SB tickets for next year’s game.
January 9th, 2017 at 3:54 pm
Same issue over and over again for those that think you can fix anything in free agency… everyone has money. Well nearly everyone. With the exception of 4 teams everyone has at least $15-million and that’s before the cap is raised, which it most certainly will, probably by $8-10 million.
You’re not getting a #2 in free agency, not unless Winston can campaign for them to come here. D Jackson is a terrible choice in my mind, the guy is aging and constantly injured – in fact on the Redskins Pierre Garçon would be a much better fit in my mind and he also will be available, in theory.
The Bucs might do best to resign VJ, they have the cap space so it wouldn’t impact anything else they do, and even if VJ doesn’t play hardly at all we would, I hope, draft and sign a bunch of young WRs and I’d want them working with him so Evans so continue to learn his craft and do all those 1-on-1 practices with Evans.
Someone like Cordarrelle Patterson is someone who I think would be a great fit for the Bucs. A return guy, a speed guy – he’s not a good WR but he can come in and at least run down the field fast and someone will have to cover him. I think as a WR4 or WR5 he could be helpful so long as he’s used sparingly.
Also someone on the Bucs they should really do a lot more with and that is Russell Shepard. He looked great when he had a chance to play. He’s got decent size, decent speed and showed better hands that I would have thought. He’s not a young guy anymore but to me he showed a ton and if he got more reps with Winston I’d really be interested in seeing what he could become. Not a #2 but he actually has the size and ability to be one, in my opinion. I wouldn’t go into a season counting on that, but it would be something I’d keep in mind.
January 9th, 2017 at 3:58 pm
LMAO Stpete! By the way, they were still doing it from 87-91 in Korea and the Philippines. They just didn’t put a badge on them! USMC! Semper Fi!
January 9th, 2017 at 4:01 pm
Semper Fi Marine!
January 9th, 2017 at 4:37 pm
Kenny Stills and Coredalle Patterson. Youth and speed to grow with what we’re already building. You’re also killing 2 birds with 1 stone because Paterson is one of the best kick returners in the league. You still have money left to add both a defensive and offensive lineman in free agency. Draft best players available but I would love Cook, Fourenette, or OJ Howard.
January 9th, 2017 at 6:21 pm
Sign one ie pryor, stills etc and draft one 1st no later than the second round
January 9th, 2017 at 8:40 pm
Kenny Stills would be a good singing too, but I see him as a #3 rather than a #2, but we need both. However he’s already said he wants to stay in Miami, so we shall see.
For those that think Pryor is an option… Pryor has already said he wants to stay in Cleveland and Cleveland – when rollover is counted – has more money than anyone else. Pryor was a QB at Ohio, he wants to stay there and they can pay him whatever he wants, I don’t see him moving.
That’s the problem – everyone has money and everyone needs WRs, I don’t expect to see a lot of movement, the best hope is that Winston can recruit someone.
The best option out there might be Kenny Britt. He’s a big guy but I don’t think you need a speed guy at #2, that is what #3 should be (like a Kenny Stills). Then Humphries can move to #4 and run screens, etc. That would be a nice top 4 WR set, but again I don’t expect any of it to happen as everyone has money.
January 10th, 2017 at 9:56 am
Does anybody who follows college scouting closely know what the prospects are for Rodney Adams from Usf. He seems gifted and runs like the wind bit his stats were soso which I think is just a result of the system and qb.