Bradley McDougald Signs With…
March 22nd, 2017
Signs.
The drama has ended for the safety.
So it seems maybe NFL folks do know more than NFL analysts sitting in their home offices watching All-22.
Bradley McDougald, nearly three weeks after the free agency dinner bell rang, has finally found a home per heavy metal head-banging Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. Seems McDougald signed a one-year prove-it contract with the Seahawks. The now-former Bucs safety chose between the Browns and Seattle, per La Canfora.
Virtually every NFL analyst (you can add Joe among them) thought McDougald was one of the top value picks among free agents and would be snatched up rapidly by a needy team. He started 31 of the last 32 games for the Bucs and was a solid player.
Instead, McDougald, 26, languished on the unemployment line and had to settle for a prove-it contract.
Why, the Bucs thought so much of McDougald, they re-signed fan favorite Chris Conte instead which induced indigestion among many Bucs fans.
This just goes to show everyone that, in the immortal words of Jim Mora, you may think you know, but you don’t. Folks working outside NFL team offices thought McDougald was a steal. Folks working inside NFL team offices thought little of McDougald and largely yawned.
Either that, or his agent grossly overvalued McDougald and tried to shake down teams who were not biting at his bait.
March 22nd, 2017 at 10:26 am
I bet he’s stoked! Good for you kid!
March 22nd, 2017 at 10:29 am
Not a bad place to better learn your craft as a safety
March 22nd, 2017 at 10:34 am
Good luck to him, thought Bucs would resign him. Maybe he will start opposite of Chancellor. I will get to watch and see how he works out. I really hope to catch a game at Ray Jay this year. Looking at moving back to FL this year. Missing the homies, speak softly, stick carriers.
March 22nd, 2017 at 10:36 am
Good to hear he found a team.
March 22nd, 2017 at 10:37 am
Just about polar opposite climates. Tampa Bay is sunny. Seattle is rainy, often gloomy.
March 22nd, 2017 at 10:41 am
1 yr $2million….wow
March 22nd, 2017 at 10:45 am
Bucs could have had him for easy money. I blame Jason Licht for this.
It doesn’t matter who here chooses to believe me, because Bradley McDougald will prove me right this season, but this is the biggest screw up since Michael Bennett was allowed to leave.
$#%#@!!!!!
March 22nd, 2017 at 10:46 am
And, ironically, to the same team…
March 22nd, 2017 at 10:48 am
“Folks working inside NFL team offices thought little of McDougald and largely yawned.”
All of them will be clapping themselves after this season.
Far as I’m concerned, this loss alone makes Licht’s off season grade a ‘D’.
He better have a great draft.
March 22nd, 2017 at 10:48 am
Yeah Joe, you cant beat it here for those 3 beautiful months of the year though haha…..
March 22nd, 2017 at 10:55 am
What is he going to prove in Seattle? I mean, unless Earl Thomas isn’t healthy by the start of the season McDougald won’t be starting for them at Safety. Unless they use 3 safeties a lot. Idk much about their defenses.
March 22nd, 2017 at 11:00 am
rayshawn Jenkins in the 5th or 6th round….GO BUCS!!!!
March 22nd, 2017 at 11:05 am
Bucs FAIL…Huge hole in the secondary now…3 guys who are backup material on the roster…pushes for a panic pick at safety in the draft 🙁
March 22nd, 2017 at 11:06 am
Guessing he had better deals but wanted assurances he would start….Didn’t get them so he takes a one year prove it deal…..hopes for better openings next year.
March 22nd, 2017 at 11:14 am
I am pretty sure Licht would have signed him on that contract, too. But I assume some doors have been slammed in negotiations by his agent who thought he can get a bigger deal – and you don’t go back to your “Ex”, especially when the market proofed you wrong.
March 22nd, 2017 at 11:15 am
I’m going to assume Mike Smith let him walk. I’ll refer to his superior knowledge on the matter, because it definitely wasn’t a financial issue.
March 22nd, 2017 at 11:16 am
Wow! Somebody’s a big McDougald fan!
I read that he’s getting 2 million. If the Bucs really wanted him, they could’ve easily swallowed that. In fact, Wilcox is making more. Hmmm, I think our backup corner and gunner, Josh Robinson, got more. I think that speaks loudly of the general opinion on McDougald.
March 22nd, 2017 at 11:19 am
What a focking crock.
March 22nd, 2017 at 11:23 am
1 yr- 2 million?
Thats back up money.
Apparently Seattle wasnt overly impressed.
Looks like Conte/Tandy/Wilcox are gonna hold down the fort.
Wish Macdougald Good luck.
March 22nd, 2017 at 11:23 am
Bucs did not fail. They attempted to resign McDougald before the start of free agency.
Here is contract McDougald had last year. Bradley McDougald signed a 1 year, $2,553,000 contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, including an average annual salary of $2,553,000. Bucs would have presumably offered more this year.
McDougald signed for less money than he made last year and with a team where he will not start. Something went wrong. Stay tuned. There’s more to this story.
However, you may be like me and the Bucs. We’ve moved on!
March 22nd, 2017 at 11:32 am
that means were drafting safety 1st or 2nd round
March 22nd, 2017 at 11:33 am
Conte and Tandy can play free safety, McDougald can’t. We need an upgrade at free safety not strong safety so hopefully bucs are thinking of defending against the long ball in the draft which is not his Forte. This luck unless we meet in the playoffs
March 22nd, 2017 at 11:33 am
Meh, our chances of getting a compensatory pick just went way up.
An extra pick in a draft full of good prospects at safety certainly diminishes the negative impact of losing Mcdougald.
March 22nd, 2017 at 11:37 am
As I have said here on this site before, McDougald is clearly a backup safety. As evidenced by the overall lack of interest across the league and the length and amount of the contract he signed. I would hardly call this a “prove it” contract considering he will never see the field unless Seattle has multiple injuries at safety. This is a basic contract for a backup player……..simple as that. His days of starting in the NFL are over!!!!! He’s a good and willing tackler, but as a pass defender, below average at best. The idea is to constantly look for better players that will have an impact, not fall in love with marginal players. Easy to move on from this player.
March 22nd, 2017 at 11:44 am
Something tells me Licht and the boys like Jabril Peppers
March 22nd, 2017 at 11:47 am
@TouchDownTampaBay
…..ding,ding,ding…you nailed it…”with the 19th pick the Bucs select Jabril Peppers”…
March 22nd, 2017 at 11:48 am
This is good because Bucs will get a 3rd round pick for Glennon next year.
March 22nd, 2017 at 11:52 am
Bonzai, did Jason Licht touch you inappropriately or something?
March 22nd, 2017 at 11:54 am
He won’t make their final 53 man roster.
March 22nd, 2017 at 11:55 am
I’m on board with Peppers. We need a third stud LB
March 22nd, 2017 at 11:56 am
How do you “prove it” on a prove it deal if you don’t play? This is a nice move for Seattle depth wise, not such a great move for McDougald unless one of the ‘Hawks starting safeties goes down. We will certainly draft a safety, perhaps with our first pick. McDougald was solid, nothing more. Let’s not lament the loss of a C+ player. The Bucs know more than we do. if they wanted him he’d still be on the roster. This is NOT like losing Bennett. Between Conte, Tandy, Wilcox and whomever we draft, we’ll be just fine.
March 22nd, 2017 at 11:59 am
Ding.
March 22nd, 2017 at 12:01 pm
Cobraboy, funny, I was thinking the same thing.
March 22nd, 2017 at 12:12 pm
Joe Says:
March 22nd, 2017 at 11:59 am
McDougald signed for less money than he made last year and with a team where he will not start. Something went wrong. Stay tuned. There’s more to this story.
Ding.
There you go!!! There’s a lot more to the story..I think Bradley was asking for way too much money and held the Bucs hostages and it backfired..Bradley didn’t even Tweet anything yet about this move..
March 22nd, 2017 at 12:17 pm
I was never even lukewarm on the kid. From my evaluation he made too many mistakes for my liking. I’m not saying we have the answer now but he was not the answer for sure.
March 22nd, 2017 at 12:18 pm
Bucs are now eligible for a compensatory pick. More FA’s departed than came to the Bucs. Great news because this could yield a pick as high as a 3rd rounder for Glennon!!!!!!
March 22nd, 2017 at 12:25 pm
I’m not all on board with Jabril Peppers. If we want a safety, I think we go with somebody who has more experience at the position rather than a hybrid player. Adams and Hooker will be gone. Budda Baker might be a possibility but his size concerns me for safety. Obi Melifonwu’s size and athleticism is intriguing – I’m not sure how good his tape is though.
March 22nd, 2017 at 12:37 pm
Obi Melifonwu Is our future safety
March 22nd, 2017 at 12:38 pm
Wish the kid the best
Moving On (Snapshot of Position)
Projected Depth @Position
• Chris Conte | Keith Tandy
• J.J. Wilcox | Isaiah Johnson
Contract Status
• Isaiah Johnson -(2017) $465,000 | (2018) $555,000 | (2019) ERFA
• J.J. Wilcox – (2017) $3,125,000 | (2018) $3,125,000 | (2019) FA
• Chris Conte – (2017) $2,625,000 | (2018) $2,375,000 | (2019) FA
• Keith Tandy -(2017) $840,000 | (2018) FA
Available Free Agents@ Position
• T.J. McDonald
• Kelcie McCray
• Shamarko Thomas
• Bacarri Rambo
Possible Cap Casualties
Marcus Gilchrist (Pre 6/1 Release $5.375M savings)
Draft Possibilities
• Budda Baker – Proj. Round #2
• Justin Evans – Proj. Round #3
• Eddie Jackson – Proj. Round #4
• Jadar Johnson – Proj. Round #5
• Dante Barnett – UDFA
• Orion Stewart – UDFA
• Nathan Gerry – UDFA
March 22nd, 2017 at 12:55 pm
Blake, compensatory picks for this offseason are for the 2018 draft. The 2017 drafts comp picks have already been handed out.
March 22nd, 2017 at 12:58 pm
Negative Jeff, having more players leave than you acquire isn’t the only factor in determining comp picks. Money is also a factor and other criteria that only the NFL is privy too. If we DID get a comp pick, I have a hard time believing that it would be a 3rd rounder in 2018. Would be nice, though!
March 22nd, 2017 at 1:00 pm
Obi!!! Give me OBI!!!!!!!!!!!
And he’s a Manchester U fanatic!!!
His tape?? OMG!!! I want OBI!!!!!!!!!
Did I say I want Obi!!!?????
March 22nd, 2017 at 1:23 pm
You do realize that any comp pick we would get (assuming we even get one) won’t be awarded until next year, right?
March 22nd, 2017 at 2:17 pm
Personally I would have kept him not Conte but they are pretty much the same player.
Just makes me believe that a DB ( not necessarily a S) will be drafted in the first 3 rounds
JOE- any word on the safety they drafted last year? Do they think he will step up this year? Are they optimistic about him at all?
March 22nd, 2017 at 2:21 pm
Luvmybucs…. It will be Tandy with Conte as his Back up. Not sure on the other side . Conte may end up the other starter but the way Tandy ended the season last year he has to be the Bucs #1 Safety going into 2017!!
March 22nd, 2017 at 2:22 pm
LOL Celly he obviously does not. And I may be wrong but free agency isnt over is it. LOL.
March 22nd, 2017 at 2:30 pm
Blake_bucsfan Says
“Meh, our chances of getting a compensatory pick just went way up.
An extra pick in a draft full of good prospects at safety certainly diminishes the negative impact of losing Mcdougald.”
First, we would not get a pick until next year. Second, we only get a pick IF our losses are more than our gains. And they are not.
March 22nd, 2017 at 2:31 pm
bizarre. a one-year deal as a backup to 2 all-world safeties instead of going back to the place where he vacated a starting job and the likes of keith tandy and chris conte are standing in his way. is it even fair to call it a “prove it” deal? what do you prove by sitting on a bench? he was looking at a starting gig almost everywhere he went and now he’s taken a job that will provide him with no 2017 game tape for prospective employers.
either that or he’s got endless confidence and plans to take Earl Thomas’ job
March 22nd, 2017 at 2:33 pm
Per PFT
““The Committee is also exploring ways — including considering immediate ejections or suspensions — to take dangerous hits out of our game,” Vincent wrote on Twitter. “We’ll communicate this to our coaches and players with video examples of flagrant hits that may result in ejection or suspension.”
In other words, Wilcox will really have a lot of penalties.
March 22nd, 2017 at 2:49 pm
$2M for 1 year? Wow – I figured we had a standing offer a bit higher than that. I guess not. And apparently the Bucs did not value McDougald’s services much at all if that was the best deal he could get…
But his signing is great news because it puts us in line now for a comp pick for Mike Glennon. Told ya’ll Licht had that in mind coming into this free agency period.
Now we need VJax to sign somewhere before May 1st so we have the ability to sign another free agent who wasn’t cut if desired.
March 22nd, 2017 at 3:01 pm
Bonzai says:
“we only get a pick IF our losses are more than our gains. And they are not.”
Wrong. Signing our own FA’s doesn’t count towards comp picks. Signing players who were cut by their previous team doesn’t count either.
In terms of what counts towards getting a comp pick – we have signed 3 FAs (DJax, Baker and Wilcox)
We have lost 4 FA’s (Glennon, Akeem Spence, Russell Shepard and now McDougald)
Additionally – the total value of the contracts for the players we “lost” exceeds the value of the contracts of the players we signed.
As long as we don’t sign any more free agents (who were not cut) – we are in position to get a comp pick for Glennon. Probably a 4th or 5th round pick.
March 22nd, 2017 at 5:29 pm
I like the idea of Jabril Peppers at olb in base 4-3 Wilcox and conte at safety and in nickel pass situations peppers and Tandy as the safeties
March 22nd, 2017 at 5:46 pm
Will he even play in Seattle? Kam and Earl rarely ever come off the field … anyways, this seems to mean the Bucs will definitely draft a S … Peppers in the 1st? Budda in the 2nd? Maye in the 3rd? Who knows …
March 22nd, 2017 at 7:13 pm
No i did not realize that the comp picks for this year are handed out next year. Thanks for letting me know tho guys.
March 22nd, 2017 at 8:04 pm
So the Bucs traded in the better of their two starters for a backup in Dallas. Ugh. Wow. I must say I’m pretty disappointed with this offseason – and no a 6th round comp pick next year isn’t going to make me feel any better.
March 22nd, 2017 at 9:48 pm
I am on board with Jabril Peppers as well.
March 22nd, 2017 at 9:58 pm
I hope this doesn’t turn into a Michael Bennett like blunder.
March 22nd, 2017 at 10:44 pm
U wonder how some of these guys would be with a proper pass rush
March 22nd, 2017 at 11:09 pm
This message board makes me laugh sometimes
March 23rd, 2017 at 9:31 am
Jabril Peppers will be a liability in any NFL secondary. Yeah, he’s a “football player” but he’s too slow to make the plays necessary from an NFL safety.
March 23rd, 2017 at 7:44 pm
Bucsince76,
Agreed. I really like Jabril Peppers- As a weakside Linebacker!
Unfortunately- he would be Mark Barron all over. Peppers is a tremendous hitter, and has great side to side speed.
Where he suffers, is in coverage. He can be beat with quick moves. Its because he is heavily muscled, and bit heavy footed.
Again- just like Mark Barron.
We have Kwon Alexander and Lavonte David. We probably need a Strong side Lb. but in our defense, the Strong sideLB is only on the field 35-45 % of the defensive plays.
Not enough for the 19th pick