With less than a month until the legal tampering period, the Bucs’ off-season battle plan is well underway.
NFL free agency begins in less than three weeks when the “legal tampering” period begins March 10.
You’ll see a flurry of big names agree in principle to new deals, either as extensions with their incumbent teams or as flashy splashes for a new franchise trying to make waves.
The Buccaneers have not typically fallen into that latter category — in the traditional sense at least. They spend money regularly and have been for some time, with the main caveat being it’s been for their own guys. That’s, naturally, a good thing to keep together a strong core you find through other means like the draft, savvy trades, and previous bargain signings.
However, GM Jason Licht does not shy away from pursuing the big fish if he’s convinced it will provide a major boon for the roster. See Brady, Tom.
Will a move like that come on the offensive side of the ball this year? The blatant shortfalls of this current roster construction do not seem to originate from the point-scoring side, but let’s take a closer look.
Buccaneers Free Agents
Are there any in-house players who should be prioritized? Here’s the current list:
- WR Chris Godwin
- WR Sterling Shepard
- G Ben Bredeson
- G Sua Opeta
- G Royce Newman
- C Robert Hainsey
- QB Kyle Trask
- RB Chase Edmonds
There is one glaringly obvious “yes.”
Chris Godwin started his 2024 season torching the entire league, leading all wideouts in several receiving stats and being Pro Football Focus’s top-graded receiver before having his ankle dislocated in October. As brutal as an end that was, Godwin is expected to make a full recovery and should be worth a top-tier contract entering his age 29 season.
Ultimately, the Bucs should be considered the leader in the clubhouse until they’re not. Retaining guys, as previously mentioned, is what they do. Godwin is still good and it’s been reported on more than one occasion how he loves the team that drafted him and he won a championship with. On the business side, Tampa can create the money to make it happen and would actually save cap because it would erase some dead money associated with Godwin’s previous deal.
If some team wants to blow him away with league-high money, then of course his departure would be understandable, but we’ll see.
Other than him, priorities are both much lower and much less expensive.
Bredeson was fine enough at left guard, though certainly upgradable. He won’t be expensive at all for 1- or 2-year deal.
Shepard filled in admirably when injuries ravaged the receiver room but he was not particularly consistent and got penalized a lot. He also just turned 32 and his injury status is always one to be monitored. This screams cheap one-year vet minimum or near it.
Trask might be a good backup, possibly…maybe? He’s throw 11 passes over three years. If he leaves or stays it doesn’t really affect the outlook nor the pocketbook. They should be looking into the draft for another developmental option.
The rest are fairly inconsequential.
Hainsey is a solid player but he should start somewhere else, and he deserves to go compete for that opportunity. He served Tampa well, especially when Ryan Jensen suffered his career-ending injury. He should be applauded.
Opeta, Newman, and Edmonds are replacement-level players who can come back for minimum as depth or be replaced by equitable talent.
With that all covered, let’s look at some possible outside candidates.
WR Darius Slayton
If the Bucs lose Godwin, the expectation should be more in line with Jalen McMillan continuing his upward trajectory from his rookie season and becoming the team’s No. 2 target, hence creating more of a No. 3 role.
So look less at names like Stefon Diggs or Amari Cooper and more like reliable mid-tier role players like Slayton. Slayton has consistently produced for 6 years on largely awful Giants teams, so he might be a sneaky good performer when paired with an upper-tier QB like Baker Mayfield.
G Dalton Risner
If the Bucs felt interested in pursuing an upgrade over Bredeson or the latter went somewhere else, Risner is an established vet who would immediately slot in as an upgrade at best and a floor-maintainer at worst.
Risner started extensively for the Denver Broncos with 62 starts at left guard over 4 years. He’s played solidly at both spots for the Vikings the last two seasons. With Minnesota needing to make major cap decisions, Risner might not be an affordable retention.
OL Shane Lemieux
If Hainsey’s departure proceeds as predicted, the Bucs will need a backup center for 2024 first-rounder Graham Barton. Having a veteran backup at the keystone is much more preferable than a rookie if possible, and there’s not currently a clear in-house option there.
Lemieux has carved out a niche as a decent backup and spot starter to this point with both the New York Giants and New Orleans Saints. He’s, by trade, a guard but started learning the center position last year and saw several snaps there in the regular season.
That added versatility is a good selling point for a Bucs team that generally values that flexibility on the interior. Lemieux would be cheap and likely not need to play much.