Top 3 Offseason Needs: Tampa Bay Bucs

In advance of March 9, the start of free agency in the NFL, Pro Football Rumors will detail each team’s three most glaring roster issues. We’ll continue this year’s series with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who added three wins to their 2015 record to finish 9-7 under first-year head coach Dirk Koetter.

Depth Chart (via Roster Resource)

Pending Free Agents:

• Jude Adjei-Barimah, CB (ERFA)
• Cameron Brate, TE (ERFA)
• Gosder Cherilus, T
• Chris Conte, S
• Andrew DePaola, LS (RFA)
• William Gholston, DE
• Adarius Glanton, LB (ERFA)
• Mike Glennon, QB
• Ryan Griffin, QB (RFA)
• Joe Hawley, C
• John Hughes, DT
• Adam Humphries, WR (ERFA)
• Vincent Jackson, WR
• Howard Jones, LB (ERFA)
• Freddie Martino, WR (ERFA)
• Bradley McDougald, S
• Brandon Myers, TE
• Jacquizz Rodgers, RB
• Josh Robinson, CB
• Russell Shepard, WR
• Cecil Shorts, WR
• Sealver Siliga, DT
• Antone Smith, RB
• Jacquies Smith, DE (RFA)
• Daryl Smith, LB
• Akeem Spence, DT

Top 10 Cap Hits for 2017:

1. Gerald McCoy, DT: $13,750,000
2. Brent Grimes, CB: $8,000,000
3. Doug Martin, RB: $7,000,000
4. Jameis Winston, QB: $6,913,985
5. Alterraun Verner, CB: $6,500,000
6. Robert Ayers, DE: $6,250,000
7. Lavonte David, LB: $6,000,000
8. J.R. Sweezy, G: $5,000,000
9. Mike Evans, WR: $4,655,478
10. Evan Smith, OL: $4,500,000

Other:

• Projected cap space (via Over the Cap): $61,926,718
• 19th pick in draft
• Must exercise or decline 2018 fifth-year option for WR Mike Evans

Three Needs:

1. Grab a No. 2 wide receiver: The Buccaneers’ offense had its successes in 2016, as quarterback Jameis Winston took a leap in his sophomore campaign, wide receiver Mike Evans ranked among the NFL’s top-six receivers in receptions, yards, and touchdowns, and the offense as a whole finished 18th in DVOA. Tampa Bay’s running game struggled — we’ll address ways to fix that facet of the club a bit later — but the more pressing need for the Bucs is at receiver, where the team lacks depth beyond Evans.

Tight end Cameron Brate ranked second among Tampa receivers in catches, yards, and scores, and adds a solid dimension to the Buccaneers offense, while Adam Humphries managed 55 receptions for 622 yards and two touchdowns. Humphries, 24, garnered the second-most targets in Tampa Bay’s offense, and while he’s a reliable security blanket for Winston, Humphries is best served in the slot. Veteran Cecil Shorts, meanwhile, suffered a potentially career-ending injury last December and won’t be back, meaning the rest of the Buccaneers wide receiver depth chart is comprised of Josh Huff, Freddie Martino, Donteea Dye, and Bernard Reedy.

In addition to Shorts, other internal free agents exist at the wideout position. Veteran Vincent Jackson, now 34 years old, is coming off a partial ACL tear and could theoretically opt for retirement given that he’s only played in 15 games over the past two seasons. Jackson, though, is a respected presence in the Tampa Bay locker room, and a cheap re-signing isn’t out of the question, as Roy Cummings of FanRag Sports recently detailed. Russell Shepard, too, is heading for the open market, but is viewed as a “priority” free agent after another campaign as an excellent special-teamer.

Even if Jackson and Shepard return, though, the Buccaneers will still have a need for a standout No. 2 receiver who can help Evans threaten opposing defenses. In free agency, Redskins pass-catcher DeSean Jackson stands out as one option who could interest Tampa Bay. Jackson, 30, is expected to garner a double-digit yearly salary, but could add another feature to Tampa’s offense. While averaging 17.9 yards per reception, Jackson led the league in yards per catch for the second time in three seasons, evidence of his deep-ball acumen. Jackson’s teammate Pierre Garcon could also be on the Buccaneers’ radar, though he’s more of a possession receiver, and the Bucs weren’t among the recent list of teams expected to express interest in Garcon.

Elsewhere on the free agent market, Michael Floyd looks like an obvious fit for Tampa Bay, especially given that Bucs general manager Jason Licht was a member of the Cardinals’ front office when Arizona made Floyd a top-15 overall pick in 2012. Even with Floyd’s off-field concerns, the Buccaneers would face competition for Floyd’s services, including from the Patriots, who hope to re-sign the pending free agent. Tampa could eye Vikings’ wideout Cordarrelle Patterson as it looks to improve its special teams unit — the Bucs lost 8.7 points of field position on kick returns and 2.1 points of field position on punt returns in 2016 — while Terrance Williams, Kamar Aiken, and Robert Woods might also interest the club.

The Buccaneers could also pursue a few pass-catchers who aren’t actually on the open market just yet: if the Jets release either of Brandon Marshall or Eric Decker, Tampa might jump at the chance to add a dependable veteran to play opposite Evans in “12” personnel. Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap recently placed both Marshall and Decker on his list of potential wide receiver cuts, and while Marshall says he hasn’t heard anything from New York about his future with the team, he could certainly hit free agency in the next few weeks. Meanwhile, the 49ers may be willing to trade Torrey Smith, who could offer a Jackson-like deep threat to the Bucs’ offense.

The draft represents yet another avenue by which Tampa Bay can acquire wide receiver talent, and while the club likely won’t be able to land Clemson’s Mike Williams barring a trade up in the first round, Western Michigan’s Corey Davis is a legitimate target at pick No. 19, and was recently mocked to the Buccaneers by Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN.com. Davis will miss the scouting combine after undergoing ankle surgery, while fellow Round 1 option John Ross (Washington) is expected to go under the knife after the combine, but both receivers should be ready for training camp. Cooper Kupp (Eastern Washington), Zay Jones (East Carolina), and JuJu Smith-Schuster (USC) could figure into Tampa’s Day 2 plans.

2. Solve the running game: Just last spring, the Buccaneers re-signed Doug Martin to a five-year, $35.75MM contract that contained $15MM in full guarantees. Given that he’d rushed for more than 1,400 yards the season prior, Martin was expected to carry Tampa Bay’s offense once again, but injuries and a PED suspension derailed his 2016 campaign, as the 28-year-old ultimately played in only eight games and posted just 2.9 yards per carry.

Tampa Bay hardly ever uses signing bonuses, and given that Martin’s aforementioned drug ban voided his remaining guaranteed money, the Bucs could theoretically part ways with Martin without incurring any dead money. That doesn’t appear to be the team’s strategy, however, as Tampa might hold onto Martin for the time being. It’s a smart approach given Martin’s lack of guarantees, and because he’s suspended for the first three weeks of the 2017 season, the Bucs can hold off on making a decision on his future until nearly a month into the campaign.

Not only does retaining Martin (for now) make fiscal sense, but the Buccaneers don’t have another viable running back readily available to step into the starting role. Longtime NFL backup Jacquizz Rodgers handled the lion’s share of the carries in Martin’s absence and finished with 560 yards on the ground, but he’s a free agent and Tampa reportedly hasn’t begun negotiations at present. Second-year pro Peyton Barber managed only 55 carries last year, while Russell Hansbrough is essentially a complete unknown.

If Martin is ultimately released, the Buccaneers will almost be forced to add another back, either through free agency or the draft. Tampa probably wouldn’t go after another pricey runner such as Latavius Murray, but Green Bay’s Eddie Lacy could be a fit (especially if he is only able to garner a $2MM deal, as one agent recently speculated). If the Buccaneers want to find an RB who can handle early down, between the tackles work, LeGarrette Blount or Tim Hightower could be in the cards. But if the club wants to run a more uptempo, passing-based offense, a receiving back such like Rex Burkhead, Travaris Cadet, or Danny Woodhead might be of intrigue.

Free agency may not offer what Tampa Bay is looking for, meaning the team could look to collegiate prospects at it searches for a backfield solution. LSU’s Leonard Fournette and Florida State’s Dalvin Cook will almost certainly be off the board by the time the Bucs pick in Round 1, and while Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com recently mocked Tennessee’s Alvin Kamara to Tampa at pick No. 19, the Buccaneers may not want to reach for a back that few rank as a clear first-rounder. Instead, the club could wait until Day 2 or 3 and target someone like D’Onta Foreman (Texas), Matthew Dayes (NC State), or even take a risk on Oklahoma’s Joe Mixon (though targeting a runner with off-field question marks might not be tenable given Martin’s recent uncertainty).

Improving the offensive line also needs to be on Tampa Bay’s itinerary, as the club’s front five ranked 21st in adjusted line yards and dead last in stuffed percentage, which ranks how often running backs were stopped behind the line of scrimmage (both are Football Outsiders metrics). Donovan Smith was probably the Buccaneers’ worst offensive lineman last season, but the team will likely give the former second-round pick at least one more year to right the ship. The return of 2016 free agent acquisition J.R. Sweezy — who missed all of 2016 due to injury — should help, but Tampa still needs help on the interior.

Center Joe Hawley is a free agent and could be replaced, but outside of J.C. Tretter and Stefen Wisniewski, there aren’t a ton of pivots on the open market. One option could be shifting guard Ali Marpet to the middle, and drafting/signing a new guard. 25-year-old Larry Warford, formerly of the Lions, would make sense for an up-and-coming Buccaneers roster, while Brandon Fusco could add a veteran presence to a young front five. Draft prospects Forrest Lamp (Western Kentucky), Cam Robinson (Alabama), Antonio Garcia (Troy), and Dan Feeney (Indiana) should be in consideration for Tampa in Round 1 or 2.

3. Solidify the defensive backfield: The Buccaneers might have employed the NFL’s worst safety tandem last year in the form of Chris Conte and Bradley McDougald, and now that both are unrestricted free agents, Tampa Bay should take the opportunity to improve its secondary by adding fresh faces. Internal option Keith Tandy shined after taking over for Conte midway through the 2016 campaign, grading as the league’s No. 22 safety on 402 defensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus, so the 28-year-old may have played his way into a starting role.

Tandy’s ascension would still leave one safety vacancy to be filled, however, but Tampa is unlikely to find a starting safety in the first round of the draft, especially given that LSU’s Jamal Adams and Ohio State’s Malik Hooker are expected to be top-15 selections (at worst). Michigan’s Jabrill Peppers is a fringe first-round prospect, but given that he may have to convert to linebacker at the NFL level, he’s probably not the type of center field defender the Bucs are looking for. Washington’s Budda Baker (whom Dane Brugler of CBSSports.com compares to Arizona’s Tyrann Mathieu), Utah’s Marcus Williams, and Florida’s Marcus Maye are among the defensive backs that could be on the board on Day 2.

More likely, the Buccaneers will go the free agent route as it hunts for a new back-end defender, and one available player that could fit Tampa’s needs like a glove is Cardinals defensive back Tony Jefferson, who is set to hit the unrestricted free agent market for the first time in his career. Like Michael Floyd, Jefferson joined Arizona while current Tampa GM Jason Licht was on the Cards’ staff, meaning the Buccaneers’ front office has some level of familiarity with the 25-year-old. Jefferson, who ranked as PFF’s No. 5 safety last year, is expected to become the second-highest paid player at his position behind Eric Berry.

In addition to Jefferson, other free agents that may receive calls from Tampa Bay include fellow Cardinal D.J. Swearinger (who’s already had one stint with the Bucs), Barry Church, Micah Hyde, or Quintin Demps, who has said he won’t offer a hometown discount to stay in Houston. Other safeties may hit the market in the coming weeks after being released, and Jairus Byrd (Saints), Tyvon Branch (Cardinals), and Marcus Gilchrist (Jets) should expect interest from the Buccaneers.