NFL Free Agency: Johnathan Joseph Is a Better Fit Than Nnamdi Asomugha for Bucs

With the players and owners agreeing to a new collective bargaining agreement, the NFL offseason officially began this week.

Already, teams are contacting many unrestricted free agents about the possibility of coming to play for their respective teams.

Nnamdi Asomugha, the top unrestricted free agent, has been looked at by several teams, but many have considered Tampa Bay the "dark horse" to sign him.

While Asomugha certainly deserves the attention he has been receiving, he still would not be the best option for Tampa Bay at the corner back position.

Obviously, he is one of the best shutdown corner backs in the league, but a player like Jonathan Joseph would be a better fit for the Buccaneers.

Joseph is still an outstanding corner in his own right. He has been the Cincinnati Bengals' best corner for a few years and he still has many quality years ahead of him.

He is also a better fit in the defensive system of the Buccaneers. They are known for running mostly zone defenses dubbed the "Tampa 2." Joseph's strength is zone defense and he would thrive in the defensive environment that the Buccaneers convey.

Joseph also brings a lot of speed and athleticism to the corner position. He has been clocked running a 4.31 40-yard dash, which is better than many other corners in the league.

He's a physical corner who will bump the wide receivers at the line and will get a lot of initial contact at the line of scrimmage.

Of course, I would not argue if the Buccaneers did sign Asomugha. He is arguably the best corner in all of the NFL. 

But signing Joseph, who is three years younger than Asomugha, could be a better long-term option for the Buccaneers since he won't require as big of a contract as Asomugha.

Joseph will give the Buccaneers another top cornerback option opposite Aqib Talib and would bring the Buccaneers defense back to the forefront of the top defenses in the NFL.