Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Who Stays and Who Goes in 2015 Free Agency?
The 2014 season is one that many Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans will want to forget, as the team posted just two wins in Lovie Smith's first season as head coach and won the bittersweet race for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 draft.
And though the offseason is normally a time of renewed hope for even the worst franchises, it'll be hard to convince Bucs fans of any high expectations. Tampa Bay was pegged as a dark-horse playoff candidate in 2014, but the team actually regressed from its embarrassing 2013 campaign that led to the firing of head coach Greg Schiano and general manager Mark Dominik.
But before the Bucs make any new additions, they must first decide what to do with those currently on the roster whose contracts are expiring. Tampa Bay doesn't have much in the way of star power to worry about keeping around, but a few key role players will command some attention.
Who will return to Tampa Bay in 2014? Who will have a change of scenery instead? Here's my take.
Note: Only unrestricted free agents are included in this list. Key restricted free agents for the Bucs this offseason include S Bradley McDougald, LB Danny Lansanah and RB Bobby Rainey.
Goes: LB Mason Foster
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One of the most tenured members of the Tampa Bay defense, Foster may have played his final game in pewter and red.
After a solid performance in 2013, Foster struggled to stay healthy throughout the 2014 season, missing six games with multiple injuries and ending the year on injured reserve due to an Achilles injury. Foster managed 62 tackles this season, but failed to tally a sack or an interception.
Per Scott Reynolds of Pewter Report, the Bucs are likely looking for a different type of player at middle linebacker for 2015 and beyond:
"Foster recorded 343 tackles, five interceptions, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in his four years with the Buccaneers, but Tampa Bay is looking for a faster athlete with in the middle of the defense with better coverage ability and the range to go sideline-to-sideline and make plays. With Danny Lansanah making a lot of plays last year, the Bucs have their strongside linebacker, so Foster isn’t really a fit there, either.
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The Bucs might have moved on from Foster after the 2014 season anyway, but the injuries make it even more likely they go in a different direction.
Stays: S Major Wright
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One of many veterans who signed a one-year deal with the Bucs last offseason, Wright was also one of the many Bucs who ended the season on injured reserve.
Still, when healthy, Wright's experience and knowledge of the Tampa 2 from playing for Lovie Smith in Chicago allowed him to log plenty of useful snaps, to the point where the team felt comfortable trading away former top-10 pick Mark Barron.
Wright will be just 27 when the 2015 season rolls around, so he should still have plenty in the tank. With the possibility of Dashon Goldson not returning due to his hefty price tag, bringing back a veteran who knows the scheme well would be a wise move by the Bucs.
Goes: DE Adrian Clayborn
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When they drafted him No. 20 overall in the 2011 NFL draft, the Bucs hoped Clayborn would be the dynamic pass-rusher they'd been craving since the days of Simeon Rice.
Instead, Clayborn missed most of two seasons with the Bucs, including a 2014 campaign that lasted just one game before the former first-rounder went on season-ending injured reserve. Scott Reynolds of Pewter Report points out the writing was on the wall when the team declined to pick up Clayborn's fifth-year option prior to this past season:
"The Bucs did not pick up Clayborn’s fifth-year option prior to last year, and he will hit free agency with just 109 career tackles, 13 sacks and five forced fumbles with four years under his belt. Tampa Bay wants a faster, quicker edge rusher in the vein of Jacquies Smith, who recorded 6.5 sacks, which ranked second on the team, in his first year in the NFL.
Clayborn is a physical, try-hard defensive end, but is not the quick-twitch athlete the Bucs are looking for in the Tampa 2 scheme. The fact that he didn’t get a chance to play in more than one game for the Buccaneers this year didn’t give the team the best chance to evaluate Clayborn, and the fact that he has only been healthy for one out of the past three seasons concerns the team.
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Clayborn can still contribute at the NFL level, but he'll most likely have to do it for a new team in 2015, as Tampa Bay continues to search for its next great pass-rusher.
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Stays: DL Da'Quan Bowers
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Thought by some to be lucky to escape the final preseason cuts, Bowers turned from disappointing edge-rusher to valuable interior depth in his fourth season with Tampa Bay.
Once projected as the top overall pick in the 2011 draft, Bowers tumbled down the draft board thanks to a knee injury before being taken by the Bucs halfway through the second round. He's never regained the explosive first step that made him such a feared sack master at Clemson, but Lovie Smith's new staff decided to move him inside, and the move could end up saving his NFL career, at least for the time being.
Bowers had just 1.5 sacks in 2014, but he provided effective relief when Gerald McCoy was out with multiple injuries, proving to be a solid run defender and a more effective pass-rusher against interior linemen. He shouldn't be expensive to bring back, and I expect the Bucs to do just that.
Goes: OL Oniel Cousins
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Another veteran who came in on a one-year deal last offseason, Cousins' play at left guard was so poor during the preseason that Tampa Bay had to address the position by trading for Logan Mankins prior to the start of the regular season.
Cousins would end up starting a couple of games at tackle late in the season, but the results were the same. His versatility makes him a decent depth piece, but he proved in 2014 that when counted on to start at either guard or tackle, it won't be pretty.
The former Cleveland Brown is already over 30 years old, so I wouldn't expect much of an effort from the Bucs to bring him back in 2015 after such a rough year.
Stays: TE Luke Stocker
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Staying healthy has been Stocker's biggest struggle during his career in Tampa Bay, but he may have carved out a new role in 2014 that could see him return to the team next season.
Stocker's receiving numbers weren't anything to write home about again this year, but when starting fullback Jorvorskie Lane went down with a season-ending leg injury, Stocker stepped in and performed well as a lead back in the running game.
It shouldn't take much cap space to bring back Stocker, and his best chance to stay in the league would be to embrace his new hybrid role and re-sign with the Bucs.
Goes: LB Dane Fletcher
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After signing a one-year deal in the offseason, Fletcher spent time at both middle and outside linebacker in 2014, struggling at both spots.
When Mason Foster was out of the lineup due to injury, there was a considerable drop-off in the performance level of the linebacker unit when Fletcher entered the starting lineup. Whether it was shedding blocks and wrapping up ball-carriers or being forced to flip his hips and go deep in coverage, Fletcher was exposed as a player who is probably best suited for special teams work.
Don't be surprised if the Bucs address their lack of depth at linebacker during both free agency and the draft, making it likely they'll move on from Fletcher.
Goes: CB Mike Jenkins
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Also signed to a one-year deal last offseason, Jenkins' 2014 season ended before it had a chance to start. The former Dallas Cowboy—who played his college football at Raymond James Stadium for South Florida—suffered a pectoral injury that landed him on injured reserve after just one regular-season game.
Jenkins gave up a touchdown catch to Carolina Panthers rookie receiver Kelvin Benjamin in that opening game, but he battled hard with second-year pro Johnthan Banks throughout training camp for one of the starting corner spots.
Jenkins has had durability issues throughout his NFL career, and he'll be 30 when the 2015 season gets underway. Alterraun Verner and Banks have the starting corner spots locked down, and it wouldn't surprise me if the Bucs preferred to find a younger, healthier option than Jenkins this offseason to provide depth at corner.
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