10th Biggest Free Agency Loss?
March 20th, 2019
Joe’s a big Adam Humphries fan but the revisionist history on the guy is getting a little out of hand.
He’s a slot receiver who isn’t an outside threat and won’t play outside in Tennessee. Is that kind of player, a five-touchdown guy off a career year, who was a subpar punt returner the past two seasons, really irreplaceable?
Legendary scouting godfather and Hall of Famer Gil Brandt seems to thing so.
Typing for NFL.com, Brandt ranked Humphries as the 10th most significant free agent loss this offseason.
Humphries is an ascending slot receiver whose production has improved in each of his four NFL seasons, culminating in an 816-yard effort in 2018. He seemed like kind of an afterthought in Tampa Bay, overshadowed by Mike Evans, O.J. Howard and, of course, DeSean Jackson. But I think Humphries will bring a good combination of experience and upside to Tennessee. Justin Watson — a fifth-round pick last year — has the traits to succeed, including speed, but he’s obviously less experienced than Humphries.
Again, Humphries is a very good player, reliable hands. But how much better is he than other guys at his position? Guys like Taylor Gabriel, Chester Rogers, Cooper Kupp, etc.?
Joe thinks the Bucs will find a way to replace nearly all of Humphries’ production. Joe would have loved to have Hump back, but the roughly $9 million per year would look so much better at cornerback or on the defensive line.
March 20th, 2019 at 11:12 am
Unfortunately for Hump, his QB is now Marcus Mariota so he will never be heard from again.
March 20th, 2019 at 11:14 am
Humphries’ numbers are gonna improve in Tennessee….just watch. (And so will DeSean’s).
March 20th, 2019 at 11:19 am
Great player, great teammate…..and a lucky guy…..in the right place at the right moment…….We couldn´t and shouldn´t pay that amount of money for a slot who in BA sistem is not that important…….So nothing than best wishes for a class guy
March 20th, 2019 at 11:20 am
Hump was good, not great, but also had some costly fumbles at times…
March 20th, 2019 at 11:21 am
He will not be better in Tennessee with that QB.
March 20th, 2019 at 11:23 am
Hump doesnt fit the mold of the slot WR that BA likes. The slot WR will be used as a downfield weapon with BA, not as an underneath check down or screen guy like Koetter used Hump as.
Put Godwin in the slot and he is a weapon with his size and speed in this offense.
A pass catching RB and a speed receiver to challenge Bobo wilson for the spot behind Perriman is all thats missing. Both can be had on day 3 of the draft.
March 20th, 2019 at 11:25 am
April 1st is coming up pretty soon. Sure would be nice to have some “new” Bucs news…forward-looking new news on maybe what to expect from first camp get-together, the 2 practice thing that Bruce will be doing, et cetera…. Hate to burst your bubble, but April 1 is when the Bucs will arrive for physicals and to start meetings and conditioning-only work that’s typically closed to media. Coaches can’t even work with them on the field for a while. –Joe
New stuff…
March 20th, 2019 at 11:27 am
Two routes: Slant or a dig route that was no more than 4 yards past the line of scrimmage.
One single concept play: A Screen that we threw to him at least 3 times a game.
He can’t get upfield and stretch the defense or even keep them honest. He rarely ran routes that began vertically. Always crossing routes.
3.65 catches per game as a Buc
39 yards per game receiving as a Buc
9 touchdowns in 60 games = 0.15 Td’s per game as a Buc
51 punt returns with a long of……… 25 yards? With ZERO TOUCHDOWNS
All stats taken from NFL.com
To call him the Bucs most “consistent receiver” is a joke. Mike Evans has been the glue to keep this offense together while we have been trying to figure out how to protect Jameis.
Humphries was decent at best. And his loss is not as significant as people make it out to be. I wish him luck, but with a scrambling qb that can’t stay healthy, I’m not sure how many opportunities this dude will get to shine over there. He did have his chances here, and the results were abysmal at best.
March 20th, 2019 at 11:28 am
All the WR angst will come down to Godwin; if he doesn’t make the leap to a solid #2 then whomever is in the slot won’t matter as they will just blanket Evans and cover the middle
March 20th, 2019 at 11:30 am
Dre-Day Says:
“To call him the Bucs most “consistent receiver” is a joke. Mike Evans has been the glue to keep this offense together”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Very true. To call anyone OTHER than Mike the “most consistent receiver” is a total disservice to #13. — He IS the glue of this offense. Well said, man.
March 20th, 2019 at 11:37 am
HUMP WAS A GREAT LOST TO THE BUC’S …….
March 20th, 2019 at 11:43 am
I’m pretty sure Perriman and Watson, passes out of the backfield to Barber and Ellington (ROJO), will surely replace those numbers
March 20th, 2019 at 11:53 am
^ He was a great loss, also. ^
March 20th, 2019 at 11:59 am
Hump might be missed, but $9m for a #4 WR, that’s a lot of money.
Who knows he might be back for a lot less money if things go as I expect in Tennessee, when they realize that Hump isn’t a #2, can’t get open versus corners, and Mariota is missing him from 5ft away and Hump finishes the year with 500 yards and 3 TDs. Maybe he’ll do well, maybe they’re smart enough to only play him around the LOS like the Bucs did, and maybe their WR and TE depth chart is secretly really good like the Bucs was, we shall see. I wouldn’t have minded to have him back at around $5m, maybe $6m at most, but then again Funchess got $13m with a $10m base, and by that standard Hump is an insane value.
March 20th, 2019 at 12:02 pm
Sorry to burst bubbles here but being “the glue” and being “consistent” are two totally different things. I could point to Webster’s Dictionary and show the clear differences but really? Consistent? You can rely on Humphries to show up with the same fire, same mindset, same consistent production… every game. Was he a burner, a downfield threat? No, he was a gritty, gutty, slot receiver that was dependable on 3rd down and rarely dropped a ball.
Mike Evans? Glue? Maybe “focal point”…. his stats from game to game are all over the place… mainly because different teams have different ideas on how to slow the Bucs offense. Some teams tried successfully to take him away, some tried unsuccessfully, some tried other methods to slow down the offense. As far as him being consistent… not really. He’s consistently a threat but his numbers are not consistent from game to game. Humphries could usually be counted on to give about 4-6 catches and 40-60 yards per game and convert 2-3 first downs.
March 20th, 2019 at 12:02 pm
Hump is easily replaceable unless we were still running dirk offense. The mindset needs to shift because with all the weapons the team was 5-11. If we have a pass catching back like we are supposed and get more production out of the run game, there we be even fewer opportunities for hump if he was resigned
March 20th, 2019 at 12:05 pm
Seems odd to see him with MeSean’s number…lol.
March 20th, 2019 at 12:05 pm
That’s right, no big loss.
March 20th, 2019 at 12:43 pm
Joeypoppems Says:
March 20th, 2019 at 11:23 am
I agree. Good points.
March 20th, 2019 at 1:08 pm
definitely agree with you joe. Im not that concerned about the loss of humphries, just hope our QB can play well enough to not make us regret this opinion.
March 20th, 2019 at 1:09 pm
the weapons we have will replace hump production easily….
#REALISTKNOWSNOTHING!!!!…GO BUCS!!!!!
March 20th, 2019 at 1:16 pm
BuccOff Says:
March 20th, 2019 at 12:31 pm
I also like a variety of kinds of stories about the Bucs here and from PR. I used to rely on PR for “inside poop” but they have gone in other directions and have their own reporting agenda. Several times in the past I posted requests there but they never took my suggestions.
For me it does not necessarily have to be the latest and greatest scoops every time either. I like getting other kinds of background information as well as the latest news.
I find that I do occasionally get good stuff from other fans. Some tidbits will point me to an article or source elsewhere that gives me some of that “poop”.
There is a good variety of Buc info here, so don’t take me wrong, Joe. There is a good continuous stream daily.
_____________
Go Bucs!!!!!!!!
March 20th, 2019 at 1:28 pm
is joe an ex con lol?
he berates all the quality, lunch pale producers
and embraces, even gets wet in the trousers over the thugs
keep thuggin!
March 20th, 2019 at 1:59 pm
@Joe, or anyone that can answer.
With the losses of Hump, Kwon and Djax does that mean we will get some good compensator picks next year or this year ?
Do you think when we do get them will they be good ones?
March 20th, 2019 at 2:01 pm
To hear some of you talk about Mariotta, you should be saying the same about Winston, since after all these years, they are pretty much identical in stats. Except for two big things, Mariotta has more 4th qtr comebacks and has a playoff win.
March 20th, 2019 at 2:02 pm
No idea and Joe honestly doesn’t worry/lose sleep/waste time over what may happen in a formula few can figure out that at best are late second-day draft picks.
If a bright lawyer like Mike Florio can’t figure out how this angle works, Joe’s not even going to try to pull this off and con folks into thinking he has this riddle solved.
March 20th, 2019 at 2:17 pm
@Nick
Like Joe said, nobody really knows the formula for comp picks. To answer part of your question, DJax doesnt count towards a comp pick because he was traded.
Players that are traded or released by a team, Vinny Curry for example, do not count towards comp picks
March 20th, 2019 at 2:45 pm
Bucsdelight,
Mariota is not in Winston’s stratosphere as far as overall talent.
March 20th, 2019 at 2:52 pm
We won’t get one this draft as they have already been picked in Feb.
The Colts were rewarded with a 4th rd. compensatory pick based on the free-agent loss of wide receiver Donte Moncrief last offseason, who signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars on a reported one-year, $9.6 million contract. The Colts did not sign a similar-type free agent during the offseason who matched that salary or on-field production.
There is a multitude of criteria involved in deciding which teams are rewarded compensatory picks, but Over the Cap explains it here:
“As the NFL explains, compensatory picks are awarded to teams that lose more or better compensatory free agents than they acquire. The number of picks a team can receive equals the net loss of compensatory free agents, up to a maximum of four. Compensatory free agents are determined by a secret formula based on salary, playing time and postseason honors. Not every free agent lost or signed is covered by the formula.”
March 20th, 2019 at 2:53 pm
Brandon said – “You can rely on Humphries to show up with the same fire, same mindset”….
lol cmon man you act like you personally know the guy and was in the huddle with him. You have no concecpt of his personality as a ballplayer.
Brandon, you’re a Humphries Stan. You’re riding the Richard a lil’ too hard there lil’ buddy.
March 20th, 2019 at 2:54 pm
Tampa Bay Demon,
You can say whatever you want about the two, but Winston hasn’t done anything. You can go on and on about overall talent, but Winston hasn’t proven that yet. Hope he makes that separation this year.
March 20th, 2019 at 3:27 pm
Mariota has an elite offensive line, running game, and defense. How can you compare that to what Jameis has? Jameis would have more 4th quarter comebacks but the defense always finds a way to blow it.
March 20th, 2019 at 3:54 pm
He would have been a huge loss if Dirk Koetter was still coach because he had no idea how develop over the top routes. Hump was always open. DK’s routes were always stagnant, that is why our YAC sucked donkey D. Bruce Arians will be able to replace Hump and his stats relatively easy. I hated to lose Humphries but for that kind of money, you gots to go!
March 20th, 2019 at 4:00 pm
Bucsdelight Says:
“Winston hasn’t proven that yet. Hope he makes that separation this year.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On that hope, we definitely agree, Bucsdelight.
GoBucs
March 20th, 2019 at 4:06 pm
Candy as$ Marcus Mariota will be his QB!! Cmon Man
March 20th, 2019 at 4:20 pm
When are you all going to stop making excuses for Jameis? It’s the Oline’s fault, it’s the RBs fault, it’s the defenses fault, it is never Jameis’ fault. Get out here.
What are we grading the O-Line on here? Sacks, they ranked 19th.
March 20th, 2019 at 4:23 pm
OLINE power rankings from profootball focus has TB ranked 20th. Chargers were ranked 30th, but they someone how did fine. What’s your next excuse.
March 20th, 2019 at 4:42 pm
What a stupid article
March 20th, 2019 at 4:48 pm
^ What a stupid post.
March 20th, 2019 at 5:07 pm
The titans will love season changing fumbling bad kick returning Bumphries
March 20th, 2019 at 5:16 pm
It really is never Jameis’ fault except for the Cincinnati game,… But Blame Jameis as you please Jameis Bashers.
March 20th, 2019 at 5:42 pm
Hey Joe, there are a lot of things Mike Florio can’t figure out. Being a sports journalist is one of those too. He’s a hack and should go be a lawyer full time, only logic would have it that he’s no good in that profession either. Florio is a big piece of what is wrong with modern sports reporting… Him and Peter King.
March 20th, 2019 at 5:44 pm
You can call us Jameis Bashers all you want. He is what he is. I hope he finally turns it around this year as it is his contract year. A cheap QB is good in my books for our cap. In fact, we should have given him an extension on the cheap. I’m sure he would have signed it.
March 20th, 2019 at 5:54 pm
I also cannot figure out the comp pick thing.
March 20th, 2019 at 6:01 pm
Jameis Almighty,
Mike Florio is definitely not a hack. He knows what he is talking about and is spot on as much as, if not more than, ANYONE else in the industry.
It’s been that way with him for a long, long time.
March 20th, 2019 at 6:34 pm
I’ll miss Hump, but we have more pressing needs. We could put Brate in the slot if we need to. We need a CB, Safety, and an Edge or even a DT if McCoy is cut or traded.
March 20th, 2019 at 7:02 pm
In the end, he will be the biggest loss.
By game 4, fans will be screaming that we should have found a way to keep him.
March 20th, 2019 at 8:13 pm
Adam is a good teammate and hard worker but he was a product of having Evans, Jackson, and two really good receiving TE’s in Howard or Brate to give him the space to operate. I seen plenty of instances where Adam was running routes with no defender within 10 yards. Now that Adam will be one of the main fulltime targets in Tenn., can he get open for more targets and be able to put up the same big numbers? Unless the Titans have their own version of complimentary receivers as the Bucs, Adam will have to battle for every catch. Is he a Julian Edelman who can get open with 2 defenders draped on him regularly. Good for Adam, $9 million is not chump change but too rich for our scheme going forward. I hope like the warrior he is, he continues to grow. Thanks Adam, Good Luck!
March 20th, 2019 at 8:36 pm
Compensatory picks:
Being good enough every year and having your drafted players pilfered from your team every season gets you compensatory picks. Teams that can’t develop their own players don’t get rewarded. And usually those teams spend a lot in FA every season which also counts against the formula.