Why Trading for George Johnson Shouldn't Keep Bucs from Drafting a Pass-Rusher

As the faux George Steinbrenner in Seinfeld found out, adding a George to your roster doesn’t magically fix all of your problems.

Earlier this week, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers addressed their need for help at defensive end by trading for George Johnson, avoiding a potential contract dispute with the Detroit Lions and the restricted free agent, who had signed a three-year offer sheet with the Bucs last week.

The addition of Johnson is much-needed, as the Bucs were already fairly thin at defensive end prior to cutting free-agent flop Michael Johnson. However, now the Bucs find themselves not only desperate for depth at the position, but also still without a proven starter with a successful track record of being able to consistently get after the quarterback.

Let’s take a deeper look at why Tampa Bay still needs to invest an early draft pick in a pass-rusher this year.

Which George Johnson Will They Get?

This isn’t Johnson’s first tour at One Buc Place, as the Rutgers product appeared in nine games for the Bucs between 2010 and 2012. During that stretch, Johnson notched just seven total tackles and no sacks.

Johnson spent the next two seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, but he appeared in only two games and didn’t register a single tackle or sack during his time in the Twin Cities.

Jim Mone/Associated Press

He finally made an impact last season with the Lions, appearing in all 16 games and tallying six sacks, despite not making a single start. Johnson took advantage of his opportunities as a situational pass-rusher, but there’s no proof he’ll be as effective as a full-time starter.

Will he continue to progress and have another impressive season, or will he be more like the player who only got on the field for 11 games over the previous five years of his NFL career?

No Proven Commodities

The Bucs do have a promising young talent in Jacquies Smith, whom fans saw flashes of last season. Over the final eight games of the year, Smith racked up 6.5 sacks to finish second on the team to Gerald McCoy. But much like the newly acquired Johnson, Smith has yet to prove whether or not he can sustain that kind of production over a significant period of time.

Smith made seven starts in 2014 and projects as one of the team’s starters for 2015, but he’s been most effective as a rotational player, which means Tampa Bay must rely on strong depth behind him to sustain a consistent pass rush. On paper, the Bucs simply don’t have that at the moment.

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

Adrian Clayborn’s injury-riddled career in Tampa Bay ended this offseason when the team declined to pick up his fifth-year option. When he was on the field, Clayborn was the Bucs’ best chance at getting pressure outside of McCoy, but both he and the disappointing Da’Quan Bowers have moved on after being the team’s first two picks in the 2011 draft.

Outside of Johnson and Smith, the other five defensive ends currently on the Bucs roster—William Gholston, Lawrence Sidbury, Larry English, George Uko and T.J. Fatinikun—have combined for just 21 career sacks over 15 total years of NFL experience between them.

The Bucs may have plenty of bodies at the position, but there’s not a single pass-rusher currently on the team who has proven to be effective over a sustained period of time in the NFL.

Deep Draft Class

If ever there was a year to avoid taking a pass-rusher with an early pick, this certainly wouldn’t be the one. The 2015 draft class is stocked full of young edge-rushers who have the skills to make an immediate impact at the next level.

Even taking away the undersized rushers who would be better fits as outside linebackers in a 3-4 defense, the draft has plenty of talented players who would fit perfectly as a 4-3 end. Assuming the Bucs use the top overall pick on a quarterback, the second and third rounds should still give Tampa Bay some attractive options who could start from Day 1.

At the top of the second round, the likes of UCLA’s Owamagbe Odighizuwa and Mississippi State’s Preston Smith would be valuable additions, while Utah’s Nate Orchard, Missouri’s Markus Golden, Louisville’s Lorenzo Mauldin and Arkansas’ Trey Flowers could be available early in the third round or even later.

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

You could argue the Bucs need an influx of young talent at defensive end so badly that spending both an early pick and a later pick at the position would be a worthwhile investment. Norfolk State’s Lynden Trail, Purdue’s Ryan Russell and Miami (Fla.)’s Anthony Chickillo are all names that would make sense and could be available on Day 3.

Not only do the Bucs need to find a potential star pass-rusher, but this is also the year to take a swing at it early in the draft, and maybe even again in the later rounds. This year’s class is too deep at the position to ignore.

The Bottom Line

Johnson flashed at moments last season, as did Smith. If penciled in as starters, there’s definitely some potential for Bucs fans to be excited about. However, if the Tampa Bay front office is going to cross their collective fingers at one of the most important positions in the Tampa 2 defense, they’d be better off improving their odds by adding one of this year’s top young talents to the mix.

Luke Easterling is a Featured Columnist covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and NFL Draft for Bleacher Report. He is also a Senior NFL Draft Analyst for Draft Breakdown. Follow him on Twitter @LukeEasterling.