2012 NFL Free Agency: 5 Receivers the Buccaneers Should Pursue

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a lot of needs heading into the 2012 NFL season.  Wide Receiver is near the top of that list. 

The good news for the Bucs is that the receivers in the 2012 free agency class are very good.  If the Buccaneers want to address the issue in free agency, they will be able to find a difference-maker.

Here are the top five receivers they should pursue.

5. DeSean Jackson

The only thing that keeps DeSean Jackson from being higher on this list is his attitude in 2011.  He seemed to mail it in at times during games because he was unhappy about this or that, mainly because of his contract.

There is no doubt that Jackson can play.  He is just one season removed from a year in which he had 47 catches for 1,056 yards.  That is an eye-popping 22.5 yards per catch.  The NFL is a big-play league, and there are few players who are more explosive than Jackson.

4. Stevie Johnson

Stevie Johnson is another guy that does not get as much credit as he should for his ability because of some of the antics he pulls on the field.  That is a shame because Johnson is a really good receiver.  He has passed the 1,000-yard mark in each of the last two seasons and has a combined 17 touchdowns.

Johnson likes to have fun, and there is nothing wrong with that, but he has got to learn to only do that stuff when it is not going to hurt his team.  You can bet that he will be regretting some of those decisions when teams are not making him the offers his numbers deserve this offseason.

3. Vincent Jackson

Vincent Jackson has as much talent as any wide receiver in the league, but like the guys on this list before him, he has some attitude issues in the past that people will count against him. 

When he is playing well, he is virtually impossible to cover.  Even with Philip Rivers having a down year in 2011, Jackson finished the season with 1,106 yards and nine touchdowns.  His presence on the field would make everyone on the Buccaneers offense better.

2. Marques Colston

Finally there is a guy on the list without any issues.  Marques Colston is one of the best draft finds in NFL history.  The Saints selected him in the seventh round in the 2006 draft.  All he has done is reward them with five 1,000-yard seasons in his six years in the league.

The one question about Colston has to be how he will do without Drew Brees throwing him the football.  He has been better than the other Saints receiver in the same system, but that question of him being a system receiver is going to be there until he proves otherwise.

1. Dwayne Bowe

Dwayne Bowe has surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in the last two seasons with Matt Cassel, Tyler Palko and Kyle Orton throwing him the football.  Can you imagine the numbers Bowe could put up in that Saints offense?  That is what puts him ahead of Marques Colston on this list.

Bowe is a big, physical receiver who can create his own space and go up and win a jump ball.  He would be a real asset to Josh Freeman, especially in the red zone.