4 Teams That Should, and Could, Match Steelers' Mike Wallace Tender

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Pittsburgh Steelers are not expected to give receiver Mike Wallace the franchise tag.

That said, the Steelers can't afford to lose Wallace this offseason but considering their projected salary cap situation, it will be difficult to retain the deep-threat receiver.

So, here are four teams that not only need Wallace but should have the cap room (projected) to accompany him.

View all projected NFL salary cap space.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Last season the Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished with the No. 16-ranked passing offense that averaged 228 yards per game.

Considering their horrendous rush offense that gained only 91 yards per game (ranked No. 30), the Buccaneers' strength was quarterback Josh Freeman's ability to spread the ball around. And that he did, but not on an elite level.

For one, Tampa lacks any threatening receivers who can consistently beat single coverage and draw double teams downfield. What the Bucs have are guys like Preston Parker, Mike Williams and tight end Kellen Winslow who can get open over the middle between the zones or snag a quick slant to get yards after the catch.

None of the targets, however, have the vertical-threat dimension Tampa needs. Wallace can provide that because of his speed and reputation. He's also a great fit as Freeman is comparable to Ben Roethlisberger and Wallace's presence alone will assist the rushing offense.

Provided that running back LeGarrette Blount can become a consistent performer and the Bucs add a reliable No. 2 ball carrier, acquiring Wallace would make them immediate contenders in the NFC South.

Lest we forget, the Bucs began 4-2 in 2011 before everything fell apart.

Jacksonville Jaguars

There's no doubt that the Jacksonville Jaguars need a quarterback to compete with Blaine Gabbert during training camp.

However, as evidence by the Jags' No. 32-ranked passing offense that averaged just 136 pass yards per game, Gabbert did not have the luxury of dishing the rock to any well-established receivers.

Only running back Maurice Jones-Drew was Jacksonville's offensive threat, and he still led the league with 1,606 rushing yards. Plus, MJD also had 374 receiving yards, so his dual-threat ability will get isolated in 2012 without any formidable receivers out wide.

Well, Mike Wallace is that answer because it is unfair to judge Gabbert's quality considering the lack of talent he had to throw to. Put Wallace on the outside and if Gabbert fails to send it deep and connect, then Jacksonville has a major quarterback issue.

Until then, though, taking a wide receiver early such as Justin Blackmon or Michael Floyd will complement Wallace very well. This also vehemently assists Jones-Drew and the ground game to which defenses will no longer stack the box on every down and distance.

With a stout defense led by defensive coordinator Mel Tucker and new head coach Mike Mularkey, Jacksonville can really make some serious noise next fall with Wallace going deep.

San Francisco 49ers

It's the one area that really affected the San Francisco 49ers throughout all of 2011: the passing offense.

Now, quarterback Alex Smith did do some serious damage to New Orleans and New York in the postseason, but the 49ers still finished No. 29 in pass offense by averaging just 183 pass yards per game.

Obviously not having Josh Morgan all season was tough, along with Michael Crabtree's slow start and Braylon Edwards not being 100 percent throughout. Still, San Francisco does need a guy who can stretch out a defense and be a threat on every play.

Well, Mike Wallace is that answer because he'll open up everything else underneath for tight end Vernon Davis as well as Smith's other receiving targets. And much like with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Wallace's presence alone will take pressure off the running game.

Frank Gore remains the Niners' best offensive weapon and the passing game is set up off of him. In today's NFL, however, not having a consistent passing threat only makes life easier for a defense.

Obviously stacking the box against Gore will continue happening until the 49ers prove how consistent they can be in the passing game. So, you put Wallace out wide and for the most part, San Francisco becomes a complete, multidimensional offense.

Coach Jim Harbaugh could if he wanted to, put Ted Ginn Jr. opposite Wallace or in the slot next to him. A defense would then have even more concerns about slowing down San Francisco's passing game.

Denver Broncos

With the strong arm and mobility of quarterback Tim Tebow, the Denver Broncos would only become a more complete offense with Mike Wallace going deep.

Right now Denver's No. 1 receiver, Demaryius Thomas, is developing quite well but he's not yet a true and well-established threat like Wallace. However, both wideouts would complement each other very well, and the Broncos would take their explosiveness to another level.

The conundrum here, though, is how confident the Broncos are that Eric Decker can be the long-term solution as a No. 2 receiver. Eddie Royal is clearly a solid slot man, so perhaps having Deck aboard for depth purposes benefits more than anything.

As for Wallace, he'd be Tebow's safety outlet downfield because Tim has yet to fully develop being consistently accurate on short and intermediate routes. So when in doubt, all Tebow would have to do is go deep.

In 2011, the Broncos also averaged only 152 passing yards per game (ranked No. 31) and they need someone to help improve on that stat. Well, last season Wallace averaged 16.6 yards per catch and in 2010 he averaged 21 YPC.

Former Denver Broncos like Rod Smith, Ed McCaffrey, Brandon Marshall and Shannon Sharpe were great, but none can stretch a defense out like Wallace.

John Rozum on Twitter.