Licht: J.R. Sweezy Is Still Hurt
February 28th, 2018
Right guard J.R. Sweezy
Two years ago, big-money right guard J.R. Sweezy was signed to the Buccaneers roster and didn’t play or practice in 2016.
Mysterious, offseason back surgery stole that year from Sweezy.
In 2017, Sweezy got on the field and was not a special player, certainly not the guy he was with the Seahawks years ago. Then Sweezy limped off the field early in the Week 15 loss to the Falcons on Jon Gruden Ring of Honor Night.
He was put on the injured reserve and isn’t cleared to play yet, Jason Licht revealed at the NFL Scouting Combine today.
During the offseason, injured players typically rehab under team supervision and then are cleared to play the moment they are officially ready.
“Too early to tell where he’s at right now,” Licht said of Sweezy’s rehab, adding that he hopes Sweezy can come back for OTAs or over the summer.”
Joe would have zero problem if the Bucs parted with Sweezy. But this isn’t pretty news for Bucs fans and officials.
Licht likes Sweezy, and Joe is fearful that the Bucs will continue to stick with him.
February 28th, 2018 at 11:17 am
Hmm.
Plenty of FA guards out there this year.
February 28th, 2018 at 11:17 am
Seriously time to just cut our losses.
Now’s the time to reshape the loser squad, Jason. Stop just holding out for hope and attack the deficiencies.
February 28th, 2018 at 11:19 am
Of course they well. Jason Licht can’t afford to have another failed free agent signing on his resume.
February 28th, 2018 at 11:22 am
Passing the blame onto the medical staff
February 28th, 2018 at 11:22 am
Yea – his answer and tone sure sounded like they intend on keeping Sweezy.
Oh Boy…
February 28th, 2018 at 11:26 am
Licht needs to cut ties and use that money to sign one of the actually good FA Guards out there. No need to waste time on this failed signing
February 28th, 2018 at 11:29 am
Man how does Jason keep getting the glazers to keep spending…..
Wow
February 28th, 2018 at 11:30 am
They have to get rid of this bust, they can put his money towards a player who actually plays and plays good
February 28th, 2018 at 11:32 am
Bye bye Sweezy! PLENTY of interior linemen available this year and if we don’t address the position and wait on Sweezy, I will finally turn from a Licht supporter into a very pissed fan. We have been patient enough for Christ sake! DON’T MESS THIS UP LICHT !!!! Starting to think we made very bad mistake allowing John Robinson leave for Tennessee.
February 28th, 2018 at 11:34 am
Sweezy should have his own game soon!! It’s “Monopoly, Sweezy Edition”…
February 28th, 2018 at 11:34 am
This teams managers love injured players. Of course when you are forced to dig at the bottom of the barrel what can you expect.
February 28th, 2018 at 11:34 am
D-ROME
I AGREE!!!!!!!
and folks blamed lovie for all the FA bust……..
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!!…..GO BUCS!!!!!
February 28th, 2018 at 11:36 am
I’m really losing faith in licht. Hanging onto players too long. Not addressing the need for a rb and de. Old men on the d line. Now holding onto a hurt player when he can be cut with no cap hit. Dude is killing me!
February 28th, 2018 at 11:36 am
Is there a link to show Licht’s presser today anywhere????
February 28th, 2018 at 11:41 am
If Licht likes Sweezy so much, make him a coach !
February 28th, 2018 at 11:42 am
why do licht and dirk want to be so loyal to players and coaches…..I understand comfort level and second chances but do they not know this is a business!!!!!!…..a performance based business at that!!!!!!…..a what have you done for me lately business!!!!!!……
all I hear about is how GMC is a nice guy…..dirk is a nice guy….smitty is a nice guy…..martin was a nice guy…..licht is a nice guy…..we have too many nice guys leading this team…..nice guys come in last!!!!!we need some a-holes on this team!!!!!!
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!!
February 28th, 2018 at 11:45 am
Licht is loyal only to himself.
Ask Lovie.
February 28th, 2018 at 11:51 am
Drome.
Just the opposite. He cant afford to not get free agents this year. He knows he is out if they dont have a winning season. He also knows he has no chance to do that without a defense. Money will be spent. Some will pan out some wont. He will definitely be swinging this year.
February 28th, 2018 at 11:55 am
I’m not surprised at all. Licht will probably sign Easy (money) Sweezy for another 3 yrs of….gettin his money for nothin and his chicks for free! And 813bucboi….thats the Bucs problem..Just a bunch of nice sweet smellin guys. Well in the NFl? Nice guys always finish in last place.
February 28th, 2018 at 11:59 am
And you delusional optimists still think there is hooe with decsions like these being standard operating procedures
February 28th, 2018 at 12:05 pm
Cut the man!
February 28th, 2018 at 12:10 pm
Why are we constantly picking up other peoples trash in FA every freaking year! I’m growing tired of the franchises inability to locate good free agents on a yearly basis. It’s frustrating to watch other teams nail it year after year, and Bucs fans are stuck saying “Oh no, we suck again”!
February 28th, 2018 at 12:12 pm
Actually, I believe we have renegotiated his contract twice and the new arrangement gives up protection against reoccurring injury…..so we have very little to lose by giving him a shot….of course, if we are able to find a replacement in FA or the draft, that’s another matter.
Before we continue, we need to ask him how his big toe is…..because that was the expensive problem with our other FA guard.
February 28th, 2018 at 12:16 pm
I think that the shoving Martin down our throats last year and keeping him here a year more than he should have, and now keeping Sweezy here, when he’s obviously not the player he once was and is always hurt, is Licht’s way of not admitting his failures. He seems hell bent on hoping that these guys work out, to the detriment of the team, to prove his signings are good ones. Especially these bums that he paid so much to. I know a lot of you think that he’s done a good job but I think he’s a below average GM.
February 28th, 2018 at 12:25 pm
BUCCANOLES01
Why are we constantly picking up other peoples trash in FA every freaking year!
When you have incompetent owners and the least desirable location in nfl that is all you can attract other teams trash, leftovers and injury prone gambles. It’s a bucs life
February 28th, 2018 at 12:30 pm
tmaxcon Says:
February 28th, 2018 at 12:25 pm
BUCCANOLES01
Why are we constantly picking up other peoples trash in FA every freaking year!
When you have incompetent owners and the least desirable location in nfl that is all you can attract other teams trash, leftovers and injury prone gambles. It’s a bucs life
Exactly brother! I keep saying it, blue chip FA’s in their prime DON’T want to sign/come play here no matter how much they offer them. They know they don’t have a chance in hell of making a serious run at the playoffs/Super Bowl because this franchise is a sh!t show owned,run, and coached by a$$ clowns.
February 28th, 2018 at 12:31 pm
@ Eric,
Couldn’t have said it better myself. Licht is ONLY loyal to himself, and as the FA process (acquisitions/cuts on all) it is clear that Jason will only do what Jason wants. No fan input, and likely minimal internal coaching input on FA.
This myopic stubborn behavior will likely cause his exit, and FRANKLY, all us Bucs faithful are just exhausting ourselves pointlessly on the “should” portion of all of it. Just wait and see, then it is what it is. Only successful GM’s have the right/standing to be isolationists. Out of arrogance, performance.
It’s just gonna be what it’s gonna be.
Go Bucs!
February 28th, 2018 at 12:38 pm
That means bye bye.
February 28th, 2018 at 12:57 pm
Someone PLEASE REMIND ME WHY HE JS STILL ON THIS ROSTER!?!?? I mean does anyone know Licht personally ? I’m a disabled army veteran that the VA is still not fully compensating me for the injuries that I had sustained while serving our Country because of a technicality but if my last name was SWEEZY I WOULD BE A MILLIONAIRE? Something doesn’t add up. Lol we need to cut him and move on. hell I’ll play for the Bucs and root from the bench all season for what they are paying Sweezy.
February 28th, 2018 at 12:59 pm
Keep him on the team, but prepare, just in case. His cap hit is $5,875,000. That’s not low, but it isn’t high either.
Koetter was just saying he has not been cleared to play yet. Who cares? He can’t play yet even if healthy.
Let’s wait and see how he is during OTAs…and sign/draft a backup.
February 28th, 2018 at 1:00 pm
Armybucsfan Says
“Someone PLEASE REMIND ME WHY HE JS STILL ON THIS ROSTER!?!??”
Because he actually improved as the season went on, and as one of the Joe’s said LAST YEAR, it was unlikely he would be effective his first year back. It is exactly as that Joe predicted.
February 28th, 2018 at 1:00 pm
I don’t want him hanging around….release him…or whatever…his career is in his past
February 28th, 2018 at 1:16 pm
Everything about everything this guy has done since he walked in the door has stunk. I really think he hid the injury, signed the contract, got to the weight room and went “ooh my back.”
And before you say that’s “conspiracy theory” Jerome Bettis ADMITTED he did that to the Steelers in his autobiography so it isn’t out of sorts.
February 28th, 2018 at 1:36 pm
You don’t actually live in Tampa Bay, do you? If you did, you’d know your statement above on Tampa being the least desirable location in the NFL is not true.
February 28th, 2018 at 1:38 pm
@Joe … “Joe would have zero problem if the Bucs parted with Sweezy.” Me either Joe. JR has a BIG question-mark hanging over his head right now in my eyes. There are several excellent FA Guards & Centers out there right now. Don’t screw around Jason … FIX OUR OLINE, and preferably do it in free agency.
And Bonzai, I’m not interested in 29 year old Guards who MIGHT have “actually improved as the season went on”. If this offense is gonna live up to the hype that’s been surrounding it for 3 years now, I’d much prefer to see 5 road-graders in front of Jameis who’ll be kicking arse from Game 1 in the season. Forget the JR question-mark & use the $6 mil in CAP money to sign a bonafide beast.
February 28th, 2018 at 1:56 pm
@Joe
“Licht likes Sweezy, and Joe is fearful that the Bucs will continue to stick with him.”
Guy has a broken back and Licht continues to let him play guard for us. Pisses me off!
February 28th, 2018 at 1:57 pm
When was he completely healthy?
Am I’m missing something here?
February 28th, 2018 at 1:58 pm
NORWELL! NORWELL! NORWELL!
February 28th, 2018 at 2:25 pm
SOEbuc
And to think that Andrew Norwell went undrafted out of Ohio State in the 2014 NFL draft.
February 28th, 2018 at 2:33 pm
I hope the plan is to upgrade there and that Licht is just keeping his options open in case none of the good free agent OGs want to come here.
The idea of paying just like another $4 mill on the books to swap Sweezy for Norwell isn’t even something one should have to think about
February 28th, 2018 at 2:44 pm
Someone PLEASE tell me why this gimp has not been cut yet!!!!!
February 28th, 2018 at 2:51 pm
I like Sweezy and like Bonzai said he got better. Rehabbing from a back surgery has to be on of the tougher injuries to overcome. I like the idea of him Marpet and Dotson lining up together for a second year especially if we bring in somebody to compete for snaps.
Throwing money at every situation any time somebody has a down year will never work. By that logic we need to throw money at the WR position because of how underwhelming DJax was.
February 28th, 2018 at 2:57 pm
D-Rome
i lived in the bay for over 20 years and still have a part time home in area. It has nothing to do with the area it has everything to do with the bucs organization being the least desirable location in nfl. no commitment to winning. the team has NEVER contended consistently in its entire 42 year history so please explain to my why a top tier coach or free agent with choices would chose this crapshow of a franchise with NO hope for the future. the glazers business model does not include winning just cashing tv money checks and welcoming visiting team fans to the raymond james
February 28th, 2018 at 4:35 pm
I could be wrong here, but wasn’t part of Sweezy’s Colin tract re-worked last year to give him fully guaranteed money if he was released while injured? Explains why JL and the Bucs would keep him no?
February 28th, 2018 at 5:05 pm
This guy sweezy just doesn’t have it anymore.his back will never be the same.he got ate up last year,was just awful.cut the guy and go find a guard or two.sweezy isn’t the answer !c’mon jason,it’s your job to find talent!build the damn team in the trenches,stop the nonsense and fix both sides of the trenches.start in free agency,then go draft some big uglys,then see where you are at.two year project sir,start now!the time is now jason!!!
February 28th, 2018 at 5:12 pm
Danbucsfan, oh we definitely should have kept John Robinson before Jason .he damn sure knew how to evaluate talent.now it’s time for our gm to fix the trenches or go sit with Mark Dominic and talk on the radio like they know how to build a football team.build the damn trenches idiots,enough is enough!!call bill polian and talk to him a few hours jason!
February 28th, 2018 at 5:20 pm
“Mysterious” indeed! We know more about the Roswell aliens, the Nazca lines, the true identity of Jack the Ripper, the whereabouts of DB Cooper, the existence of Big Foot and the Skunk Ape combined, and where Jimmy Hoffa is buried more than we do about this guy.
February 28th, 2018 at 5:38 pm
I read on *over the cap* if we release him before June 1 it adds 1,250,000 in dead money. If we wait till after its zero…for whatever its worth
February 28th, 2018 at 11:17 pm
This is simply stating the future for Sweezy. Sweezy contract and cap number is still too high and I expect the team to try and rework his contract one more time before he’s inevitably released which may come this offseason before training camp or before the regular season when it’s roster cutdown time but it’s coming very soon. I honestly think they should leave free agency alone at offensive line altogether unless they can find a real good LT. I don’t think the buccaneers should draft a offensive lineman either because Winston and the current bucs are not afforded anymore developmental projects that’s why I also been saying they should just draft the best game changer available at #7 which in my opinion for this team is Derwin James. James would finally fill that void at the third level.