Biggest Need
March 22nd, 2019
Bucs GM Jason Licht.
So we are nearing the two-week mark since the legal tampering period began and over a week since the free agency dinner bell rang.
The stockpile of free agents has been picked through like Thanksgiving Day leftovers the Saturday after the gluttonous holiday.
So Jenna Laine of ESPN decided to give the Tampa Bay roster a look-see and she determined the biggest need of the Bucs over a week after free agency began is at one defensive back position.
Cornerback. The Bucs need cornerback help to supplant Brent Grimes. While Vernon Hargreaves showed promise in the season opener prior to a shoulder injury, there are still too many question marks with him, Carlton Davis and M.J. Stewart. It’s a weak free-agent cornerback market, but a veteran like Morris Claiborne is still available and has familiarity with Todd Bowles’ system.
Joe would have to agree, specifically with Laine’s suggestion the Bucs go get Claiborne. Mock him if you wish, but he wasn’t horrible playing for Bowles in New York.
And Joe has typed over and over, go get an edge rusher in the draft. A pass rush can help hide subpar corners. There’s no defensive coordinator alive that can hide a corner in the NFL if there’s no pass rush.
March 22nd, 2019 at 9:07 am
I agree with that you need a great pass rush to take the pressure off your cornerbacks.
March 22nd, 2019 at 9:11 am
Davis will be good with good coaching, and they will procure someone cheaply perhaps after the draft.
BUT….for all you braniacs that think you know better than this guy…see below…
(Courtesy of PFT)
Stephon Gilmore restructures contract
Posted by Josh Alper on March 22, 2019, 7:06 AM EDT
The Patriots have some more cap space at their disposal.
Field Yates of ESPN reports that cornerback Stephon Gilmore has restructured his contract with the team. Gilmore converted $8.5 million of his $9.5 million salary into a signing bonus in order to create $5.67 million in cap space. That money will be added to Gilmore’s cap hits in 2020 and 2021.
The Patriots were short on cap space before the move. According to the NFLPA, they came into the day with just over $4.5 million in room.
Gilmore is set to make $10.5 million and $11.5 million in the final two years of his deal. He was named a first-team All-Pro for his work during the 2018 season and made a key interception in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl.
HEY….hopefully you ALL can read! I still wonder sometimes. IS THAT THE wonderful Patriots and Belichick that knows all…restructuring a CORE PLAYER of theirs with a large new signing bonus, and a low salary….TO….wait for it morons opposing this…..free up CAP SPACE???!? The Patriots???
Try and squawk now…….
March 22nd, 2019 at 9:14 am
Really surprised no CB was signed or traded for.
March 22nd, 2019 at 9:16 am
I think the bucs biggest need is…. a new GM ! How can you be a bad team year after year and have little cash available ??
March 22nd, 2019 at 9:17 am
I agree, the Bucs are only as tight against the cap as they wish. They can restructure Evans contract and free up about 12 million.
March 22nd, 2019 at 9:18 am
Claiborne wasn’t bad in Bowles system, why isn’t he in Tampa then, I know it takes two to tango, but the staff has not been shy about reunions, unless it is a money issue (restructure anyone?)
March 22nd, 2019 at 9:27 am
@George…
🙂 Yup! Plus several other players. Then …they could intelligently and simultaneously prudently, use that philosophy to sign additional players with the same structure when warranted, etc. etc. etc. etc. The calculator for future years will always tell you TODAY when/if things will be tight.
For those that…know.
March 22nd, 2019 at 9:32 am
Freudian slip that you put “Biggest Need” right next to a picture of our lousy GM. Does Steve Yzerman like football?
March 22nd, 2019 at 9:38 am
Bucs have invested a high 1st rd pick, two 2nd rd picks and a 4th rd pick on CBs in the last 3 years.
A lower priced FA with experience will likely be brought in at some point – but for the most part – the Bucs will be rolling with their young talent at CB this year.
RG and MLB are the Buccaneers current “biggest needs”.
Drafting Devin White in the 1st rd and the best Guard available early in the 2nd Rd would go a long ways towards filling those legit “needs” and solidifying our starting roster.
March 22nd, 2019 at 9:43 am
RG is by far the biggest need. Dont give Jameis a run game again and expect drafting another QB next year
March 22nd, 2019 at 9:45 am
Hey Pickgrin–this same Devin White:?
https://twitter.com/devywarehouse/status/947937446179868674?langen
No thanks!
March 22nd, 2019 at 9:48 am
george
i agree…..
i said the same thing yesterday…GMC&brate need to restructure that BS !!!!!!
#REALISTKNOWSNOTHING!!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!!
March 22nd, 2019 at 9:53 am
Will the Bucs restructure GMC?
March 22nd, 2019 at 9:57 am
CB De’Vante Harris was signed around the 15th.
I think the bigger picture is being missed.
The Bucs have a vested interest in misdirection going into the draft. So they might understate the CBs already on the roster, or hold off on announcing that Beckwith could return soon. If he does, they won’t be taking White.
Remember, Arians stated that he asked his assistants what they needed and all of them said they were happy with what they had. That tells me that the cornerback issues, as Joe himself said last year, were due to coaching.
What I do see is this: They didn’t restructure McCoy because they want to keep the option to release him until after the draft. If they get a guy to replace him, then they can cut him or trade him.
I also see Peyton Barber. He refused a multi-year deal, wanting to prove himself. Admirable…but it also created a lack of stability at the RB position going forward. The Buccaneers may have no choice but to draft a RB after the first round at some point…and that could result in Barber being supplanted and not being able to prove himself.
I think that during this draft, we take two defensive linemen, a RB, CB and a LB.
I don’t think OL will be taken at all.
March 22nd, 2019 at 10:02 am
Do Claiborne
He could be had for 4 maybe 5 mil if he hits incentives
March 22nd, 2019 at 10:04 am
@bucboi….
That’s funny. Geee….where did this ALL originate, weeks and months….ago.
Hmmm.
March 22nd, 2019 at 10:17 am
Players have to be willing to restructure and most are not. Claiborne would have to want to come here and I doubt he does.
March 22nd, 2019 at 11:09 am
New GM is the biggest need!!!!!! Though it could be argued, Owners that want to win, not ones that want to “expand the brand”!!!!!!!! Anything else pales in comparison in the category of need!!!!!!!! I think joe should have asked “Biggest need for Buc’s roster”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! which might just be QB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2019 season will reveal answers to the sheep, that the “real” fans already know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Go Bucs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
March 22nd, 2019 at 11:26 am
Pickgrin Says:
March 22nd, 2019 at 9:38 am
Bucs have invested a high 1st rd pick, two 2nd rd picks and a 4th rd pick on CBs in the last 3 years.
A lower priced FA with experience will likely be brought in at some point – but for the most part – the Bucs will be rolling with their young talent at CB this year.
RG and MLB are the Buccaneers current “biggest needs”.
Drafting Devin White in the 1st rd and the best Guard available early in the 2nd Rd would go a long ways towards filling those legit “needs” and solidifying our starting roster.
Pickgrin,
Did you crawl up inside my mind and type this post for me?
Yes an extra edge rusher would be nice……but we need a great MLB….Kwon wasn’t great but he was good…….we can turn that loss into great.
March 22nd, 2019 at 11:37 am
Agree that RG is our biggest need in terms of something I want plugged with a drafted starter immediately from R2 or R3.
Lindstrom / Elgton Jenkins / Garret Bradberry
I’d think at least 1 will be available in R2
March 22nd, 2019 at 11:49 am
Negative Nancy Says:
“Does Steve Yzerman like football?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LOL, line of the day.
March 22nd, 2019 at 11:52 am
Buccaneer Bonzai Says:
“Beckwith could return soon.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately that will not be happening.
March 22nd, 2019 at 12:07 pm
Pass rusher will be drafted in the first!!!! Rb will be drafted in the second!!!!!! OL and CB will be addressed after draft cuts/ second and or third wave free-agency!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2019 will reveal answers to the sheep, that the “real” fans already know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Go Bucs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
March 22nd, 2019 at 12:23 pm
Just imagine saying this after drafting 3 CBs in the first two rounds the past few years.
March 22nd, 2019 at 12:43 pm
^^ Whew, when you put it like that, Season.
Ouch.
March 22nd, 2019 at 1:52 pm
The Colts get it. then look at our GM.. ugh geezus man.. broke and not good….awesome
March 22nd, 2019 at 2:21 pm
bucs got 3 mil in cap space. Gotta get rid of 93 its just a fact. Unless Gerald will restructure. They cant sign draftpicks at this point.
March 22nd, 2019 at 2:23 pm
If the Bucs were to open the season TODAY, we’d be in decent shape at DT & DE, with players under contract like Vea, GMC, Allen, JPP, Nassib, and yes, Gholston. We’d also be in decent shape at QB (Winston), OLine (Smith, Marpet, Jensen & Dotson), WR (ME13, Godwin, Perriman), TE (OJ & Brate), and yes, even at Safety (Evans & Whitehead).
BUT … we’d be REALLY hurting at RG, MLB, CB and yes, RB. Drafting yet another CB this year doesn’t solve the ‘experience problem’ (our young CBs may ALL be promising with some good coaching, but thus far they haven’t proven anything). I agree with Jenna that the Bucs NEED to sign an experienced CB capable of starting outside. The pickings may be slim, but signing Claiborne is certainly preferable to going into the season with what we have now.
Pickgrin … I’m onboard for drafting White in the 1st Round, and yes, someone who can play RG in the 2nd Round. Prefer though that it be a player who also has a Tackle background (backup for Donovan & replacement for Dotson if gets injured again). I think we can get a decent RB in the 3rd Round to complement Barber. BTW, I’m not expecting much out of RoJo this year. He’s got too far to go to see the field very much this year.
TB22 … White was trying to protect his gap on that play, and so was pretty much immobile. Nelson had a head of steam when he hit him & outweighed him by nearly 100 lbs. Ya, that very same Nelson who made First Team All-Pro this year in his Rookie year. That play doesn’t prove much of anything … except that I sure would’ve like to have seen Quentin Nelson playing for the Bucs instead of Indy.
March 22nd, 2019 at 2:26 pm
no thanks to White at #5. Trade back and get him, but we can do better at #5.
March 22nd, 2019 at 3:12 pm
The Bucs defensive line played fairly well last year – and they had the worst defense in the league because the defensive backs had no idea what they were doing.
To be clear I don’t disagree with the value of picking a defensive lineman over a defensive back in the top 10 as it’s much easier to find corners later in the draft than to find defensive lineman, but a rookie DE is almost certainly not going to do anything to help the team this upcoming year and you still don’t have a #1 corner and you’re hoping VH3 is healthy and hasn’t lost a step as your #3.
Also to take any player in the top 5 you should believe they are elite, at something, and if you don’t have a truly special player there, then you should look to trade down and fix multiple positions since the idea is to win now, not in 5 years.
March 22nd, 2019 at 3:22 pm
DR…….I like your plan but I’m not digging that idea at RG.
I’m sick of these freaking lineman moving around. We need a guard then go get one. I dont want him moved to RT next year then LT the year after.
As far as the Tackle positions goes we have an entire department of operations …….Like, WTF, go find us a T that can be trained. A competent staff could look at who we have(Benechot, Lidke) and know if they are good enough to be backups. If they aren’t you freaking find new ones like every other team does. Sign em, draft em, UDFA em…….if all that doesn’t work then you find good ones during roster cuts from another team. I don’t know why the frick this has to be so hard for the Bucs but DR………let’ the Bucs give you and I 6 figures for the summer. I guarantee you we could watch film of preseason games for 12 hours per day and find some solid players for an OL.
I’m tired of all the excuses and I’m tired of having to draft HeMan that can play all the OL positions to come save us.
This team just needs to do their f***ing job!!!!
GO BUCS!
March 22nd, 2019 at 3:28 pm
Rod Munch……Don’t be so quick to blame the DBs for everything. A lot of the success passing offense had on us was designed to attack the middle of the field and our LBs and box defenders.
Our pass defense in that area was some of the worse I have ever seen. That part of our defense does not deserve to go unmentioned.
March 22nd, 2019 at 3:49 pm
Does Steve Yzerman like football?
YESSS!!! All hail Steve Yzerman!
March 22nd, 2019 at 4:22 pm
BucOff, some buc fans don’t get the concept of restructuring. It’s way over their heads. They think it means players are taking a pay cut. I remember one poster saying that there is no way ME would restructure. As you know, this is beneficial to players as they get money upfront and do not have to take a pay cut. The only downside is an increase in the cap hit in future years. Because the cap number continues to grow, this should not be an issue.
March 22nd, 2019 at 4:26 pm
jimmyjack
i agree….
if we need a G than draft one….dont draft a T and try to make him a G….
#REALISTKNOWSNOTHING!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!!
March 22nd, 2019 at 8:00 pm
Maybe Bowles knows something about Morris that we don’t. He knows we need CB help so there’s probably a good reason he isn’t here. JS
March 22nd, 2019 at 8:30 pm
What the buc Says:
“They think it means players are taking a pay cut.”
Actually, it does quite often mean that. Depends on the situation. There’s more than one way to restructure a contract, and different reasons to do so.
March 22nd, 2019 at 9:32 pm
JimmyJack … I agree with you that it’s much preferred to draft a ‘dedicated’ Guard, but we’ve got a major OLine problem IMO once you get past Smith, Marpet & Jensen (none of whom are setting the world on fire BTW). Bucs didn’t re-sign Wester, so in addition to those 3 we’ve got Dotson, Evan Smith, Watford, Liedtke, Cappa, Benenoch, Boozer, Holcomb. Which one of those would you designate to play Left Tackle IF Donovan went down? Which one would you designate to play Right Tackle IF Dotson goes down? Who starts at Right Guard?
We’re no better off right now than we were last year. Run blocking MIGHT still be an issue UNLESS we can solidify the right side of the OLine. And as far as backups go, we’re sucking hind teet. We’ve got to get some versatility in there or the injury bug will eat us alive.
March 23rd, 2019 at 12:17 am
TB22,
Lol, everyone gets rolled up…if that’s your “why not” then there’s no player you’re going to like.
Btw, did the Irish get the conversion. …..NO!