Former NFL Agent: Bucs Could Squeeze Derrick Henry Under The Cap
October 26th, 2023
Ex-agent explores feasibility.
How bad is the Bucs’ running attack? It seems the Bucs are on the cusp of flipping from being a running team to a pass-first offense — in midstream in October!
The lack of a Bucs rushing attack is simply atrocious and a flat embarrassment to the football community and the Tampa Bay area in general. It is just unbelievable to Joe that just about any ham-and-egger on another team would be a better option than what the Bucs have.
It’s now just about a year and a half and Joe is still waiting for Rachaad White’s first good game played in the western hemisphere.
Kevin Patra of NFL.com thinks the lack of a run game for the Bucs may single-handedly destroy this team’s chances at a playoff run.
The Bucs’ run game has been horrific this season. Rachaad White led Tampa with 34 rush yards in Sunday’s loss to Atlanta, averaging 2.6 yards per carry. Todd Bowles knows his team needs to score more points, and the lack of a running game is severely hindering any chance to do so.
Like many Bucs fans, Patra doesn’t know why the Bucs don’t just bite the ball and solve the running back issue by trading for Titans running back Derrick Henry, who is in the final year of his deal with Tennessee.
Joe doesn’t think this will happen because of the Bucs’ salary cap issues. However, a former NFL agent who types specifically about NFL salary cap issues for CBS, Joel Corry, is of the mind the Bucs could squeeze Henry’s salary under the cap easier than what most people believe.
Corry goes into a lot of salary cap gymnastics the Bucs could pull off to bring Henry to Tampa Bay, which only an accountant can appreciate. One tactic is the Bucs could use seems to revolve around Mike Evans’ contract.
Joe boils it down to this: Do the Bucs want to make a playoff run? It is really difficult to believe the Bucs can make any sort of serious drive to the playoffs and beyond by only having warm bodies at running back.
It’s sad when your quarterback is the team’s second-leading rusher and has 37 percent of the rushing yards (99). The leading back has 266.
October 26th, 2023 at 12:09 am
Do it
A HOF player at a low cost – yes please
October 26th, 2023 at 12:18 am
If the glazers are seriously entertaining the notion of keeping this coaching staff beyond this year and if the staff wants him, I think it could possibly happen.
If the glazers don’t think they want this coaching staff after this season, then it is a good chance they pass on any trade for a rb.
Time will tell, I guess. That is my opinion though.
October 26th, 2023 at 12:26 am
And right on cue. The idiots talking about another skill player that we have zero chance of getting and have zero chance of fixing the real problems on this team. If we were to get henry, and after the run game still fails. Who are the idiots going after him. The idiots ran fournette out of town for white. They will run white out of town. Then what? Geeze. With people like these idiots on this site running the team it will be decades before we see w superbowl again.
October 26th, 2023 at 12:26 am
Derrick Henry would be the shot of adrenaline this offense needs….
It would never happen BUT it’s fun to think about!
October 26th, 2023 at 12:33 am
Henry is the kind of back you need if you want to run the Mayfield offense.
Don’t see it happening though.
October 26th, 2023 at 12:42 am
@old school
“ The idiots ran fournette out of town for white. They will run white out of town. Then what? Geeze. With people like these idiots on this site running the team it will be decades before we see w superbowl again.”
So are you insinuating that the glazers and licht read our comments and make roster move on this billion dollar team based on what we say?
Joe, you should feel like the man! I didn’t know you had that much pull. I am impressed!
Hey, glazers, can you make the tickets and beer even cheaper? Thanks!
October 26th, 2023 at 12:56 am
Yep, restructure ME13 and make room for Tha King! It has to happen. Its a splash move, and you can walk away from him in the offseason if it goes south. He has all that attitude and toughness this team is looking for. Get him by friday so he can use the extra days to get up to speed.
October 26th, 2023 at 1:03 am
Don’t do it. Too many holes to fill as it is, and it’s looking like Baker isn’t the answer at QB. We limped into the playoffs last year and got curb stomped in the first round by the Cowboys. That was with Brady. Baker is no Brady, even in Brady’s worst year, which it was. Take our lumps doing the best we can, and build next year. Don’t tank it. Play Trask in some real games at some point. Purdy surprised the league last year. Let’s at least get a clue about what we already have before we go rolling the dice on a rookie next year. It still pisses me off thinking about Steve Young. Just once in my lifetime I would like to see a QB we drafted get a second contract. I suspect we are the only team in the league that has never done that.
October 26th, 2023 at 1:17 am
Hey JOE if this joe was writing a article–I would name it ” Bakers last stand” LMFAO!!!
October 26th, 2023 at 1:29 am
All you sacrifice for Henry is $6million for the remainder of this season and a draft pick for a 30 y/o running back. What is the risk? He has to be better than White right? As an rb, he is likely to get right after it when acquired. Can you get a starting center or a pass rusher for $6million? You can even put Trask in to hand the ball off and expect more success than we are having now. We are not drafting a top flight QB next season folks. For better or worse, Bowles will coach the talent on this team to mediocrity at worst.
October 26th, 2023 at 1:46 am
At least Fournette punished LB’s and DB’s.
He initiated contact. White avoids it!
He’s so soft and he talked so much this off-season.
And he smiles too much. Everything about White annoys me.
He is a Gen Z running back.
Soft and selfish!
October 26th, 2023 at 2:00 am
Unfortunately ME13 hasn’t done a single thing this season to make his case for a hefty extension. Mediocre play and a bad attitude. Love the guy, but he’s not doing anything to justify the contract he would want, so there goes that plan. God forbid we dig our hole any deeper with Shaq. Don’t even talk about White’s $100M fever dream. We can’t do anything for Godwin without alienating Mike any further. Wirfs or Winfield are the only ones I would consider extending in season, and we’d have to backload their contracts anyhow.
October 26th, 2023 at 2:18 am
Please no. The coaches are just now realizing this is a passing team (and league)
He doesn’t run block or get in the coaching booth to call better run sequencing.
So he’d be a small enough improvement that it would make the team worse by enabling the coaches to continue sticking with an awful run game to justify the move.
October 26th, 2023 at 3:24 am
you gotta do it…
or the defense will take their foot off the gas by week 11 or 12…and blowouts will become a regular thing…
morale will get low…
and the culture revival we’ve had here since the arrival of arians is out the window…
we’ll be at rock bottom building from scratch – and that’s a bad look post-brady
October 26th, 2023 at 3:52 am
Thx for the article on this, per me already mentioning this exact scenario like 4 days ago. It’s honestly a no-brainer. Especially when we can’t draft a proper back and really can’t afford to blow another pick on one.
I understand the hate on White to an extent. Honestly look at the history here though. Bucs still have Vaughn on the team. Light is a GM that is afraid to hurt his own ego about cutting bad picks. History dictates he won’t want to admit anything about White just like with Vaughn.
On a similar note let’s look at the o-line. We have 1 pro bowler and then an okay LG. They always try to push the run right on our weak blocking side. We don’t run enough zone run because our oline can’t except for maybe 2 of them (the left side), we still don’t really have a good TE although he is improving slowly.
Everything with the offense is so far very obvious as far as problems. The defense has a few issues but otherwise looks great imo.
Here is the overall issue, we get Henry and go hell let’s say make the playoffs, we won’t get to the SB. We don’t get Henry we still go 7 or 8 wins and draft in the middle away from the best QB (if we replace coach etc because I think if Bowles stays he keeps Baker), best OL will be gone best rushers gone etc. So damned if you do damned if you don’t.
October 26th, 2023 at 4:19 am
The run-blocking isn’t good enough to make a suitably large enough difference even with a top tier RB. The problem isn’t the RB. It isn’t Mayfield. It’s the O-Line.
October 26th, 2023 at 4:45 am
Joe … ‘Do the Bucs want to make a playoff run?’
Wrong question? Of course the Bucs WANT to make a playoff run. The real question is ‘CAN they make a playoff run?’ Reality IMO is that even IF the Bucs win the weak NFC South, they’re not close to being in the same league as the big boys this year. Mortgaging the future … yet again … for 1 RB won’t change that.
Derrick Henry is 30 years old & in the final year of his contract. He’ll go down in history as a Titan, just like Tom Brady will go down in history as a Patriot. For the Bucs to rent him for a year MIGHT get us into the playoffs, but the odds are excellent it’d be a one-and-done playoff.
October 26th, 2023 at 6:38 am
@oldschool
Methinks you protesteth too mucheth.
Your incessant use of the ad hom “idiots” leads me to beli be that you are personally compensating for a certain small appendage.
Not talking about your pinky, either. For the record.
Do yourself and this comment section a favor and go back to your favored sport at screaming at neighbor children to, “GET OFF MY LAWN!”
October 26th, 2023 at 6:45 am
But if the team makes the trade they will be taking away one of Barker’s main excuse, I mean reason, why Maybefield is stinking it up.
October 26th, 2023 at 7:08 am
Funny to see the low IQ fans talking about how great Fournette was… the dude was terrible. As bad as White has been, Fournette was far worse. Someone said he punished LBs and DBs… he left his feet and launched himself. He was awful. Legs almost always stopped moving at first contact. He was safety first all the way. The only thing he liked about being an NFL RB was picking up that undeserved paycheck. FOUR of SIX seasons in the NFL his. YPC were less than FOUR. He would have been just as bad or worse this season.
October 26th, 2023 at 7:13 am
If the Bucs don’t trade for a good runner, the Glazers are looking to tank the 2023 Bucs.
October 26th, 2023 at 7:15 am
Henry will get first downs, keeping drives alive, in red zone he will be able to punch it in from 2 yards, White can’t.
He would be a rental but at least give a jolt to this low scoring offense.
October 26th, 2023 at 7:27 am
Our number 2 receiver is paid like a number one receiver. People in Tampa are still desperately holding on to the idea that we have the best receiving duo and some still have the audacity to reject the idea of being pass first? Hilarious. Mike Evans should be getting the same amount of balls thrown his way as a JaMarr Chase, Diggs, Jefferson. Wanna see if Mayfield or Trask have a future with this team? Let me throw the f’ing thing. F it. WE ARENT GOING ANYWHERE this yr, what are we even talking about. Who do we even think we are? As if trading for a RB will change the trajectory of this yrs team. Yes let’s give up a 4 for Javonte Williams, yeah that’ll do it – to the moon!
October 26th, 2023 at 7:55 am
He may help a little but I agree with other people it’s more the offensive line. They can’t open up holes. They just can’t run block as other teams are in our backfield right when the run play starts.
October 26th, 2023 at 8:28 am
A 29 year old RB that needs a few steps before reaching reaching full speed? How is that supposed to help?
Hainsey and Feiler are both aZZ. Mauch is a rookie and needs a year to get stronger. Those three are constantly missing blocks or getting ragdolled. I reserve judgement for the RBs until that mess gets cleaned up.
At least Canales has more play variety than the last guy… Not that it’s producing better results…
October 26th, 2023 at 9:00 am
Why would they get rid of him?
October 26th, 2023 at 9:16 am
I see absolutely no negatives with making this deal. It makes us an instant contender. If the Bucs don’t make a move they could alienate much of the fanbase that returned with TB12
October 26th, 2023 at 9:47 am
Flier and hainsey are the main issues
October 26th, 2023 at 10:47 am
If you guys think DH can run behind this line then you don’t watch his tape.
October 26th, 2023 at 11:39 am
Go ahead and sign him. It’s for only half a season. The team has zero chance of doing anything in playoffs, IF they even win this awful division. Don’t have anything to lose, and the running back game is dismal. So it’s only a positive.
October 26th, 2023 at 11:44 am
Gonna say it until I’m blue in the face: Bucs O players and Canales have to get on the SAME page. Canales needs to up the receiving game and use the running formations as decoys. Bucs will win if he does it.
October 26th, 2023 at 12:55 pm
@Bucsfan yes everyone in leadership of organizations where fans pay watch what they think. Sometimes they even get ideas from them. But ultimately you are right. Do they move on what fans think? Usually not. In this case it is clear they will continue to double down on stupid. Our skill players are not the problem! I will be proven right again tonight.
@Todd are you projecting?
October 26th, 2023 at 2:37 pm
Tight ass Licht not a chance, Licht will pick up Ronald Jones I believe he got released.
October 26th, 2023 at 4:46 pm
Screw Derrick Henry. BRING BACK LOMBARDI LENNY