Johnthan Banks - Pro Football Rumors

Buccaneers Trade CB Johnthan Banks To Lions

November 1st, 2016 at 11:21am CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers didn’t waive Johnthan Banks after all. After telling the cornerback that he would be dropped from the roster yesterday, the Bucs have instead traded him to the Lions, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). In exchange, Tampa Bay will receive a conditional seventh-round pick for 2018.

Banks, a second round pick of the Bucs in the 2013 draft, hasn’t done much in the last four years. Already in a limited role under Lovie Smith in 2015, Banks hardly played for head coach Dirk Koetter this season.

Star cornerback Darius Slay was held out of Sunday’s game with an injury and Banks is likely being brought in as a depth signing. There’s no word yet on Slay’s status for this upcoming Sunday against the Vikings.

Johnson Bademosi stepped into the starting lineup over the weekend and he turned in a strong performance even though Detroit was not victorious against the Texans. In that game, Bademosi picked off Brock Osweiler late in the second quarter, stopping the Texans deep down the field.

Buccaneers Waive CB Johnthan Banks

October 31st, 2016 at 4:53pm CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers have waived cornerback Johnthan Banks, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Bucs were reportedly willing to move Banks for a wide receiver before the deadline but it’s safe to assume that they could not find a deal.

Banks was a second round pick of the Bucs in the 2013 draft. Immediately thrust into the starting lineup, Banks has seen his role dwindle over time. This year, he did not start in any of the five games that he appeared in. Last year, he made seven starts out of 14 regular season appearances. Banks at least had some kind of role under Lovie Smith, but he clearly didn’t have a place once Dirk Koetter took over as head coach.

With Banks gone, the Bucs still have Jude Adjei-Barimah, Alterraun Verner, and Josh Robinson to support starters Brent Grimes and Vernon Hargreaves.

Bucs Willing To Trade Verner, Banks For WR

October 26th, 2016 at 4:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

Following the placement of Vincent Jackson on IR, the Buccaneers do not have an imposing wide receiver depth chart beyond Mike Evans. The team is evidently willing to part with assets to upgrade it.

The Bucs are willing to trade Alterraun Verner or fellow cornerback Johnthan Banks to acquire a wide receiver, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets, before identifying Alshon Jeffery or Torrey Smith as a potential trade target (Twitter link).

However, Verner has not lived up to expectations in his two-plus seasons in south Florida and has a contract that could be somewhat difficult to move in a deal. Still just 27, Verner is signed through 2017 and stands to carry a $6.5MM cap number next season; that’s down slightly from his $6.75MM figure in 2016. Those numbers are manageable, but Verner hasn’t been a regular starter since 2015. A former second-round pick, Banks is in the final year of his rookie deal.

Both have seen their statuses in Tampa Bay take hits with the arrivals of Brent Grimes and Vernon Hargreaves. Both Banks and Verner were full-time starters in 2014 before being steadily supplanted and relegated to backup roles.

Tampa Bay’s wide receiver depth chart houses recently acquired Cecil Shorts, along with youngsters Adam Humphries and Russell Shepard. Both have stood out in spots, but neither qualifies as a dependable starter-type player opposite Evans, while Shorts hasn’t replicated the form he showed with the Jaguars or even the Texans. The Bucs also have Louis Murphy on the PUP list.

Humphries leads non-Evans pass-catchers with 22 receptions for 233 yards. Shorts has played in three games but has just one catch for 12 yards for a Bucs pass-catching corps that’s taken a hit after the losses of Jackson and Charles Sims.

A report earlier this week linked Smith to the Eagles, but the deep threat remains on the struggling 49ers. Doug Pederson also denied any Philadelphia trade interest in wideouts earlier today. Jeffery is playing this season on the franchise tag.