Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Predicting Bucs' Biggest Roster Moves This Offseason
Heading into the 2014 season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had completely overhauled the entire organization, from the general manager and coaching staff all the way down to a roster that saw more than half its players hit the road.
But despite the wholesale changes at One Buc Place, Tampa Bay will finish with an even worse record this season than the 4-12 mark they posted during Greg Schiano's final season at the helm.
Missing on multiple free agents, injuries to much of the 2014 draft class, trying to fit square pegs into round holes on defense, the departure of offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford without calling a single play—this was the recipe for disaster for Tampa Bay's new regime, as the Bucs are just a Week 17 loss away from securing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft.
Fans should expect yet another overhaul this season, from the offensive coaching staff to a roster full of under-performers and bad scheme fits.
What are some of the biggest roster moves Tampa Bay fans should expect to see from their team this offseason? Let's take a look.
Cut Anthony Collins
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When the Bucs signed Anthony Collins to a five-year, $30-million contract this offseason, they thought they were getting a young left tackle on the verge of breaking out and becoming one of the better blind-side blockers in the league.
What they got instead was a huge disappointment and a constant source of frustration.
Collins spent the entire season either injured or being completely ineffective, committing costly penalties and forcing Bucs fans to question the new regime's ability to evaluate talent at the pro level. Collins' play has been so poor that the former Cincinnati Bengal has been inactive for the past two games despite being completely healthy, with Demar Dotson moving over from his right tackle spot to the left side.
Despite the lucrative contract they gave Collins, the Bucs only owe him another $3 million in guaranteed money, per Spotrac.com. Tampa Bay needs to eat that dead money and move on from Collins, especially with Dotson playing well in his place.
Sign Lavonte David to Long-Term Extension
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It's hard to find too many bright spots on a 2-13 team, but the Bucs just happen to employ one of the best linebackers in the entire NFL.
Tampa Bay snagged a gem when they traded up into the second round of the 2012 draft to grab David, who has drawn many comparisons to Tampa Bay legend—and recent Hall Of Fame inductee—Derrick Brooks. Over his first three seasons in the league, the Nebraska product has racked up 425 tackles, 10 sacks, six interceptions and 19 pass deflections, earning first-team All-Pro honors in 2013.
Despite missing two games this season, David has tallied a team-high 141 tackles to go along with three forced fumbles and a sack. The Bucs have already locked up one defensive cornerstone—Gerald McCoy—to a long-term extension, and doing the same for David should be high on the team's priority list for 2015.
Stay in the Bargain Section of Free Agency
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Carl Nicks. Dashon Goldson. Eric Wright. Anthony Collins. Michael Johnson.
Bucs fans were thrilled when their normally frugal team started shelling out top dollar for some of the league's most sought-after free agents over the past few offseasons. But as you can tell from the list above, they haven't had the best track record of getting much bang for their buck.
Whether it's injuries or just plain underachieving, Tampa Bay's big-ticket buys in free agency have flopped more than they've succeeded over the past few years, and it's time for the team to switch gears. The NFL's best teams build through the draft and add economical role players in free agency, which is the strategy the Bucs must adopt if they want to return to relevance any time soon.
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Cut Dashon Goldson
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Since signing a five-year deal worth over $41 million prior to the 2013 season, Dashon Goldson has garnered more attention for his penalties and fines than he has for his overall level of play.
NFL rules protecting receivers have hurt players like Goldson, who rose to success in large part because of his ability to make the highlight reel with devastating hits, making his calling card illegal. Goldson actually had to seek out tackling tutelage from a private coach this past offseason after amassing nearly $500,000 in fines during his first season in Tampa Bay.
Now that Lovie Smith and the Tampa 2 have returned to Raymond James Stadium, Goldson's skill set is an even poorer fit for what the Bucs want from their safeties. According to Spotrac.com, cutting Goldson would only leave the Bucs with $3 million in dead money next season, which might be worth it to find a cheaper, better fit in the secondary.
Draft a Franchise Quarterback
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The biggest—and perhaps only—silver lining to the Bucs' awful 2014 season is that they are just a Week 17 loss away from securing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft. With that pick, Tampa Bay would have the opportunity to grab a potential franchise quarterback, something the team has lacked for years, if not their entire history.
Even with a win this week, the Bucs are guaranteed to not pick lower than second overall, meaning they would at least get a shot at either Oregon's Marcus Mariota or Florida State's Jameis Winston. Both Heisman winners sit atop the consensus quarterback rankings in next year's draft class, assuming both underclassmen declare for the 2015 draft.
Josh McCown has failed to be the mistake-free game manager the Bucs hoped he'd be, and going back to him as the starter down the stretch proved the team's new regime likely doesn't think much of Mike Glennon as the quarterback of the future.
Bucs fans hope their team isn't picking this high very often, but when given the chance, any NFL team with a question mark at quarterback—especially one as big as Tampa Bay's—needs to swing for the fences and try to land a player who could help turn the franchise around.
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