Todd Herremans Could Be Licht’s “Cap Casualty”
January 10th, 2015
Last week, Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht hopped on the Buccaneers Radio Network and talked about how his staff already has a list of potential “cap casualties” on which the Bucs are ready to pounce.
Of course, Licht was referring to Dashon Goldson good players who could be cut in the coming weeks because their teams won’t pay their fat contracts for the 2015 season.
Tampa Bay has identified players “that we think we could maybe swoop in on and get a bargain, per se, or mix good value sense-wise for us to sign and upgrade our team,” Licht said. “We’ve got some holes on our roster that we can upgrade. We are going to be active in all those different areas, but we are going to be wiser about it.”
So who might the Bucs target?
Of course, Joe’s dialed into fixing the Bucs’ dreadful offensive line.
One guy to watch is veteran Eagles guard/tackle Todd Herremans, a fourth-round pick of Philadelphia in 2005. He’s been a warrior on their offensive line for years. Eagles beat writer Eliot Shorr-Parks pegged Herremans as a cap casualty, meaning he’ll be cut before March 10, the start of the NFL fiscal year.
OG Todd Herremans
Cap hit: $5.2m
Base salary: $4m
Dead money if cut: $1.2
Analysis: Herremans played longer than he should have with a torn bicep muscle last season, a pretty valiant decision considering his status heading into the offseason. The Eagles can save $2.8 million by cutting Herremans, not a huge number, but backup Andrew Gardner played well last season, and costs only $750,000. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Herremans released.
Prediction: Cut
Licht spent years with the Eagles and all of them were when Herremans was in the mix.
Herremans played a couple of games with a torn left bicep in 2014, until he gave in to surgery. ESPN documented his gutsy effort.
“I thought he was effective,” Eagles coach Chip Kelly said. “There were certain things that obviously when they kind of got to his inside arm, which was the arm he hurt, I think sometimes he wasn’t as strong as he normally would have been. But I thought he battled out there and played his tail off.”
At times, Herremans simply lunged forward and tried to get a hold of the defender across from him. The Eagles got through that game, but it would have been difficult for Herremans to continue playing as opponents figured out the limitations caused by his injury.
Man, it almost seems like Herremans was more effective with one arm than Bucs’ offensive linemen were with two!
Herremans will turn 33 in October and has made 124 starts, at both tackle and guard positions. That’s about 20 games less than Logan Mankins.
Joe’s not sure how the Bucs could pass on a chance to sign a guy like this at the right price.
January 10th, 2015 at 4:43 pm
If a physical clears his torn bicep I’m all on board as well.
Thanks for that post Joe. Nice insight as to how we can fix problems without necessarily having to break the bank or use a draft pick.
Now could you find us a QB like that so we can stop bickering over Jameis/Marcus and use our top pick more productively?
How does freaking Belicheat do it. Pay all that money to Brady and still find a way to replace integral parts when they leave.
Set you up there Joe. Because he HAS A QB!
January 10th, 2015 at 4:51 pm
WTF …33 years old with what looks like an injury he can’t get over. ..reach much? I thought the ideal was to build a line that would grow as a unit for years to come.. not a unit that needs geritol just to get up in the morning. I guess on the bright side the Bucs could save an extra 10% senior discount for their hotel rooms.
Since when does picking up a capable veteran stop a team from building a line? It’s called depth, competition, and keeping your QB upright. –Joe
January 10th, 2015 at 4:58 pm
@ SAMCRO: Well said!!
January 10th, 2015 at 4:59 pm
Just bring us the beef. I don’t care where it comes from.
January 10th, 2015 at 5:01 pm
Does he have “value”? I think he would go to a Super Bowl contender first.
January 10th, 2015 at 5:24 pm
thunderchunky.
Aww you mean the Bucs are not Super Bowl contenders for next year. LOL
January 10th, 2015 at 5:27 pm
Joe would it be possible for you to list who’s contract is up and how much $ their contract was worth, and who do you think will be cut and what the hit on the cap would it be for. I know it’s a lot to ask for, but it would be a better discussion piece than who’s going to be the #1 pick.
January 10th, 2015 at 5:30 pm
Clearly Joe drink was spike by Dominik – hence the backwards aged OL FA picks.
Beware Buyer…
January 10th, 2015 at 5:46 pm
We don’t need more “stop-gap” players…..go younger/draft pick…..
January 10th, 2015 at 6:02 pm
Steve Smith Sr. is destroying Rehab “overated” Revis. …HA
January 10th, 2015 at 6:57 pm
Todd Steussie Jr… We already have an overpaid old man at guard… We don’t need another…
We can get rid of our overpaid old man at guard. –Joe
January 10th, 2015 at 7:37 pm
Licht said. “We’ve got some holes on our roster that we can upgrade.
yeah the entire 0-line!
January 10th, 2015 at 8:03 pm
didnt we learn from the Jon Gruden era. When you’re shopping in the toy store stay away from the dinosaur isle. We need a OL coach that’s worth a damn and some young talent to develop. The AFC playoff winning Ravens are starting 2 undrafted rookies on their line. wtf
January 10th, 2015 at 8:05 pm
33 years old and injured……even at healthy I would say no thanks. Let’s stop overpaying for old guys and identify these guys that are mid 20’s with upside and don’t break the bank. It ain’t easy, but better scouting and looking harder might help. We give our guys away for peanuts daily and a lot of them are starting right now in the playoffs. Their out there our coaching and scouting just sucks.
January 10th, 2015 at 8:17 pm
Why is the whole pats offense white?
January 10th, 2015 at 8:25 pm
Pardon my skepticism, but who was the last FA Offensive Lineman (that wasn’t offensive) that we have signed recently? Off the top of my head the only one that comes to mind is Jeff Christy. So, that being said, don’t get too excited about other teams’ casualties. Expendable players are just like the “Expendables” movies…(crap).
January 10th, 2015 at 8:30 pm
Robert 9 Says:
January 10th, 2015 at 8:17 pm
“Why is the whole pats offense white?”
LOL My racist uncle is a Pats fan and he always tells me : “The reason why the Patriots are so good is because they have mostly white players.”
I always chuckle when I hear him say it and shake my head.
January 10th, 2015 at 8:41 pm
@ Joe
I guess it depends… Do you consider Herrimans a better player than Mankins?
If that answer is yes then I would be fine getting a better player for $2 less… However, I don’t think Herrimans is better then Mankins and I don’t want to take the chance of a 33 year old who has what seems is a chronic biceps issue…
Stick with a healthy Mankins and add (FA or draft) a few youngry guys to build the line…
January 10th, 2015 at 8:56 pm
Trade mankind for a 4th round pick and a slot receiver
January 10th, 2015 at 10:20 pm
News Flash! We are rebuilding the rebuilding effort that was being rebuilt before. I see no point in signing a 33-year old when this team is “Licht” years away from contending. Might as well tank the 2015 season instead.
January 10th, 2015 at 11:09 pm
joe , stick to what you know , carrying Winston’s jockstrap. what an embarrassing idea.
Might want to work on your reading skills. –Joe
January 11th, 2015 at 8:07 am
Wow, when did the readers on this site get so full of themselves? Agree or disagree with the Joes on a given topic, as we all will, but why all the animosity? Joebucsfan still has the best Bucs coverage in Tampabay so you guys should calm down a little. It does sound like Herreman is used up but he could be effective in a backup role. Lovie and Licht missed horribly on almost every major player acquisition last offseason and consequently led us to being the very worst team in the NFL. I have low expectations for whatever they do in the next few months. The only positives with them that I can see is that Licht will not be a rookie GM anymore so he has room to grow. Secondly we at least have a OC with NFL experience. But Lovie, he has plenty of experience and is the captain of the ship, he should have had enough experience to manage the team through the season in a manner that did not finish dead last in the league! .
January 11th, 2015 at 10:22 am
That torn bicep will probably NEVER be what it once was at his age. I’ll pass…..
January 11th, 2015 at 10:55 am
Yea it’s so bad Joe is recommending gray beard come in to help sorry that’s a trouble idea. For rookies an offseason brings study training and experience for our current players, plenty of teams draft lineman in late round that do well and hopefully we are one of those teams.
I just love how media and fans talk about players as if they are busts if they don’t come out and play like starters in their first year…. It’s called growth and any one of our lineman could step up in year two…. You just posted about how Charles some could have a breakout year so why can’t a second year lineman do the same?
January 11th, 2015 at 1:12 pm
I’d rather see the Bucs go after Clint Boling. I know he’s with the Bengals, but still better than what we have right now.
January 11th, 2015 at 1:33 pm
If we keep Manks then we have no reason for another older guard. Especially one coming off a torn bicep. Pass We need some mid 20s guys with experience and maybe a couple young guys from the draft or undrafted FA.
January 11th, 2015 at 9:52 pm
Good article. Any info on o-line guys we could add much appreciated. We’ve always had bad o-lines but this years was worst I’ve seen.