Buyer’s Market At Defensive Back For Bucs

March 9th, 2013

Dawan Landry is another intriguing name that could bolster the Bucs’ defensive backfield.

It’s been pretty darn astounding to see all the cornerback and safety talent cut around the NFL in recent hours, as teams clear salary cap room and new head coaches clean house.

Joe’s not going to rattle off a boring list of names, but simply stated, it’s shaping up as a buyer’s market for the Bucs in the area of solid secondary players.

Take Jacksonville, for example, where the Jaguars had a respectable pass defense last season, especially considering they were last in the NFL in sacks (20). Also, teams only ran for an average of 4.1 yards a carry on the Jaguars, which was good for the 11th best yards-per-carry-allowed average in the NFL, so it’s not like Jacksonville only had decent pass defense numbers because everyone was slashing them in the running game.

Yet the Jaguars have just cut starter Aaron Ross, who won two Super Bowl rings with the Giants (keep the Bill Sheridan connection in mind), very solid and versatile safety Dawan Landry, who played years alongside Ed Reed in Baltimore and likely would be a hell of a mentor to Mark Barron, and 10-year veteran cornerback Rashean Mathis, plus talented, yet oft-injured cornerback Derek Cox hits the open market on Tuesday.

And that’s just off the Jaguars.

There are all kinds of options for rockstar general manager Mark Dominik to massively upgrade the Bucs’ woeful secondary that cost Tampa Bay at least a couple of wins last season. The Bucs have the available cash. They just have to pick the right players. There’s no excuse for the Bucs to not field an average secondary this season, which would be quite an improvement.

12 Responses to “Buyer’s Market At Defensive Back For Bucs”

  1. @MikeInTampa2 Says:

    Then get FS Glover Quin, a true Center Fielder so Barron can play in the box. And Ronde can play Nickel/Slot!!! We’d be rollin’

  2. Chris@Apple Roof Cleaning Tampa Says:

    The new offenses in the NFL require a different kind of defender. I think that is another reason we are seeing so many cuts lately.

  3. BullDog Says:

    Gamble on Smith,,pun intended !

  4. ElioT Says:

    I like Derek Cox and Sean Smith! Draft another CB in rounds 2 or 3, develop Johnson and Gaitor and we’ll have a solid CB group for years to come.

    Oh yeah – Get RID of Eric Wright!!!!

    This is going to be an exciting few months.

    Go Bucs!

  5. ElioT Says:

    Joe –

    What do you think the chances are that the Bucs go after three CBs in FA (there are certainly enough of them) and not selecting one in the draft?

    I’d like to think that young players like Leonard Johnson and Anthony Gaitor (and god-forbid maybe even Myron Lewis) can still be developed and provide good depth at least.

  6. 1976Buc Says:

    Any truth that the Bucs just re-signed Blount? 1.75 1 year deal?

  7. bucrightoff Says:

    Yup, Blount is back, and no one can complain at that money.

  8. 1976Buc Says:

    Good money and as much as he sits the bench his career has been extended 5 or 6 more years due to less contact.

  9. 76buc76 Says:

    I think we’ll lose Bennett.If these pure pass rusher’s like Usi and Freeney get 10-11M per.Then Bennett should get 12-13M per.He is young and probably just as good a pass rusher at this point.But he is great against the run.

  10. Mike J Says:

    ElioT, the brass has said some nice things about Gorrer also.

  11. 76buc76 Says:

    I hope we land Abraham for 3M with sack and games played bonuses.1M for double didget sack’s.1M for playing 13 games.Then Gholston 8M per.Then a couple 5-6M per cornerback’s.Leaving us 10M to wait it out and grab a super value free agent or two.the first week the big name free agent’s will come off the board.Anybody unsigned after that can be had for cheap.

  12. 4everBucsFan Says:

    Let’s not settle for average, let’s strive for the best.