5 Buccaneers Who Will Be on the Roster Bubble in 2015

There is no getting around it: The Buccaneers were the worst team in football in 2014, and any team that finishes 2-14 should expect changes to the roster.

Though the team had problems from top to bottom, the quickest fixes come by making hard decisions with the personnel on the field. Some of the Bucs' starters in 2014 shouldn't expect to have jobs in Tampa this year.

The obvious place to start the culling is the offensive line, which apparently confused the use of the word "offensive" in their job title. The Bucs spent a lot of money to overhaul the line last offseason and shouldn't be afraid to cut ties with their past mistakes like tackle Anthony Collins.

Though the offensive line did him no favors, running back Doug Martin might not want to make long-term plans in Tampa Bay just yet.

The Bucs defense is certainly not immune to potential cuts. The secondary especially could do without some overpaid and underachieving players.

Some of these players might not make it to Bucs training camp, but some may find themselves in red and pewter come December. Their goal after that is to be better than they were in 2014.

Here are five Bucs on the roster bubble in 2015.

Anthony Collins

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

Signing left tackle Anthony Collins was possibly the Bucs’ biggest miscalculation last offseason. The way he played in 2014, the Bucs have powerful motivation to rectify their mistake.

The Bucs signed Collins to replace Donald Penn last year for only a minor discount. Penn went on to have a good season at left tackle for the Oakland Raiders, allowing only four sacks and provided solid pass protection, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Collins, on the other hand, was a turnstile at the Bucs’ left side. His play was so bad that the former Cincinnati Bengal found himself benched for the last three games of the season:

"

#Bucs head coach Lovie Smith said it was "a coach's decision" to deactivate LT Anthony Collins today. Suppose he was benched vs. Carolina.

— PewterReport.com (@PewterReport) December 14, 2014"

"

#Bucs have benched LT Anthony Collins today again. He will likely be released in the offseason. Third straight inactive day for this bust.

— PewterReport.com (@PewterReport) December 21, 2014"

"

Bucs LB Mason Foster is inactive again with Achilles injury. Tackle Anthony Collins is healthy scratch again for third straight game ...

— Greg Auman (@gregauman) December 28, 2014"

Benching Collins sent a clear message that he should start packing his bags. Even his contract makes him easy to cut:

"

#Bucs OT Anthony Collins inactive again, not injury-related. Only owed $3M more in guaranteed money. Don't expect to see him return in '15.

— Luke Easterling (@LukeEasterling) December 21, 2014"

Collins is technically on the bubble, but he’s as good as gone come March.

Dashon Goldson

Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images

Free safety Dashon Goldson embodies the typical free-agent signing by former general manager Mark Dominik. He is expensive, disappointing and firmly on the roster bubble after just his second season.

The Bucs signed Goldson to a five-year, $41.25 million contract in 2013 based off his productive run with the San Francisco 49ers. Since joining the Bucs, Goldson hasn’t lived up to his end of the contract according to the Tampa Bay Times' Greg Auman:

"

.@bucsfanfitz Goldson had nine interceptions his last two years with 49ers. He has one in two seasons with Bucs. Hasn't played as paid ...

— Greg Auman (@gregauman) January 11, 2015"

Goldson’s average annual salary is just over $8 million. That’s a lot to pay a guy who has problems making legal tackles and providing consistent coverage.

What may ensure Goldson’s exit from Tampa Bay is the emergence of safety Bradley McDougald. The second-year safety made quite an impression on head coach Lovie Smith this past season:

"

"At the safety position, we had a guy who really stepped up this year by the name of Bradley McDougald." - Bucs HC Lovie Smith

— JennaLaineBucs (@JennaLaineBucs) December 29, 2014"

Though listed as a strong safety, McDougald can play either safety position. As he is a far less expensive option than Goldson, the Bucs could trim the salary cap a bit more for a player who better fits Lovie Smith’s defense.

Leonard Johnson

Brian Blanco/Associated Press

One of the Bucs' biggest problems on defense was the play of the secondary. Nickel cornerback Leonard Johnson might end up bearing a large share of the blame.

Johnson joined the Bucs in 2012 as an undrafted free agent. He ended up starting 14 games in two seasons under Greg Schiano.

When Lovie Smith became head coach, he made the nickel corner position essentially a starting role. Johnson won the job during training camp but was mediocre at best during the season, breaking up only one pass and recording only one interception, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Johnson nearly lost his job to CB Isaiah Frey during the season. He will no doubt have to fight to stay on the Bucs roster in 2015.

Former Bucs operations coordinator Joe Bussell, aka NFLosophy on Twitter, believes Johnson is a quality player who may be in the wrong system for his strengths:

"

Leonard Johnson is better than a lot of people give him credit for. His issue is inconsistency. Plus he's better in man coverage.

— NFL Philosophy (@NFLosophy) December 21, 2014"

Even if Bussell is right, Johnson has to adapt to the system he’s playing in if he hopes to stay in Tampa Bay next season.

Doug Martin

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Many of the Bucs' offensive woes in 2014 can be traced back to their nonexistent run game. How much is former first-round pick Doug Martin to blame?

As more time passes from Martin’s extraordinary 2012 campaign, the less he looks like a starting NFL running back. Injuries played a role in his lack of production since 2012, but the biggest reason might be the instability of the Bucs offensive line.

It doesn’t matter which running back the Bucs chose to deploy. None of them, including Bobby Rainey and rookie Charles Sims, got much going behind a line that was lucky to get a yard of a push during run plays.

This coming offseason is a pivotal one in Doug Martin’s career. The Bucs have to decide whether to exercise the fifth-year option in his contract, per Greg Auman:

"

.@usfmatt Correct. Bucs must decide this spring whether to exercise a one-year option on Doug Martin for 2016. Seems unlikely ...

— Greg Auman (@gregauman) January 5, 2015"

If the Bucs chose not to extend his contract for that fifth year, he may be as good as gone, but that’s not a certainty.

Martin received a majority of the Bucs’ carries down the stretch, indicating Lovie Smith may still have some faith in his ability. It’s up to Martin to reward Smith’s faith and build off what little success he did have in 2014.

Mason Foster

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

Pending free agents pose a time-sensitive dilemma when they’re on the bubble. Bucs middle linebacker Mason Foster is due to hit the market in three months unless the Bucs decide to roll the dice and keep him on the roster.

During his time in Chicago, Lovie Smith had Brian Urlacher to lock down the middle linebacker position and lead his defense. While Foster has shown some of Urlacher’s physicality, he doesn’t compare to Urlacher’s instincts or leadership.

Waiting for another Brian Urlacher may be asking too much, and the Bucs have typically been better with Foster in the lineup.

The biggest factor in determining whether to keep Foster may not be his play but rather his durability:

"

Mason Foster may not be back for the #Bucs today – or ever. His contract is up after this year and he's been injury-plagued this year.

— PewterReport.com (@PewterReport) December 21, 2014"

Unable to make much of an impression down the stretch, Foster will have to hope that his career in Tampa Bay gives the Bucs enough reason to bring him back next year.