“Why Not” The Bucs?
January 22nd, 2020
Many reasons “Why not?”
Joe brings you this break in Philip Rivers-moves-to-Destin coverage to bring a pipe dream floated by Bleacher Report.
Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report is surveying the land to see just where free agent running back Derrick Henry could land this spring. He doesn’t exactly dismiss the Bucs as potential suitors.
But why not the…
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: They have plenty of cap space, but second-round pick Ronald Jones II made strides in his second season.
Well, Joe can tell you why. First, Bucs coach Bucco Bruce Arians doesn’t believe in big investments on a running back. He’s said so a couple of times. The fact he hung on to (inexpensive) Peyton Barber for so long is an example of that.
Another reason? The Bucs are not built to run. Yeah, Henry can often make his own holes. But if a team is going to invest in Henry, it would be a team that doesn’t pass the ball that much.
What’s the point of spending big cash on Henry and him not being a key cog in the offense?
Also, as Joe heard on SiriusXM NFL Radio yesterday, Arians is a throw-first, throw-second and throw-some-more coach. At 67, he isn’t going to change his ways and go ground-and-pound.
The biggest reason why the Bucs won’t get Henry? Cash.
The Bucs have stated they want to keep the defense intact. Keeping Shaq Barrett, Jason Pierre-Paul and Ndamukong Suh is not going to be cheap.
Add on Phillip Rivers/Jameis Winston and feel free to explain to Joe where Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht is supposed to find the extra Team Glazer loot to afford Henry in addition to the four aforementioned players.
Would Henry be an upgrade over Ronald Jones and Barber? Hell yeah!
Would it be fun to see Henry run over NFC South defenses? You know it!
But Henry and the Bucs, it is simply not realistic.
Melvin Gordon makes a lot more sense.
January 22nd, 2020 at 12:50 am
I agree with everything except the part about Melvin Gordon making sense. He just turned down 10 million per year from the Chargers and he isn’t all that good to begin with. Maybe Licht will will finally strike gold with a running back in the draft this year? Don’t laugh, it could happen and is probably more likely than Jameis becoming a franchise guy. đ
January 22nd, 2020 at 1:00 am
I donât see how Gordon makes more sense when you just stated BA doesnât believe in big investments at RB. Gordon would be the definition of a big investment.
Draft another RB after we draft in the trenches. I kind of like the David Johnson idea if he can be had for around 4-5 M.
January 22nd, 2020 at 2:25 am
It’s going to be David Johnson.
January 22nd, 2020 at 4:48 am
1) Tying up our assets in Jameis will keep us from making splash plays like this. And not just this season. This would be fine if he could carry a team, but he canât.
2) Why is everyone expecting Suh to be back? He was average, at best. Our interior pass rush took a dive with him. And for all that âattitudeâ he brought, we went 7-9. He wasnât worth the money we paid him. He definitely wasnât worth cutting McCoy over.
January 22nd, 2020 at 4:55 am
Henry is staying in Tennessee. You don’t need Nostradamus to figure that one out.
I’d rather draft a RB than sign Gordon or Johnson. Too bad Najee isn’t entering the draft, Etienne also.
J.K. Dobbins?
D. Swift?
Opinions?
January 22nd, 2020 at 6:06 am
Personally I’d much rather spend any money we’d use to sign a running back towards signing Henry’s teammate Jack Conklin.
Then we can just draft a running back. Jonathan Taylor would be a good complement to Jones.
January 22nd, 2020 at 6:51 am
‘But Henry and the Bucs, it is simply not realistic.”
You can add…Joe Burrow and the Bucs are not realistic.
January 22nd, 2020 at 6:56 am
Western Buc
I have to disagree w you in Suhâs year last yr. he actually helped improve our pass rush bc the O line had to deal w him & Vea.. our team had the 2nd most sacks in our history in a season I believe.. either way it was a huge improvement…
Aaron Donald had a record year next to Suh as well, he posted 20 sacks or so and took a considerable dip in production this year while playing w out Suh..
He ia not a stat sheet guy but if you aak the coaches he made a big impact on our line & D this year that is not just easily replaced w a draft pick..
January 22nd, 2020 at 7:06 am
If we had a dominant run blocking oline this debate would be over. Invest in better push up front like Tennessee and watch all aspects of this team improve. Think SF cares who totes the rock? They just maul you up front and make superstars out of backbenchers.
Cue the oline apologists…
January 22nd, 2020 at 7:19 am
Arians has hung onto Barber for so long?
Arians has barely been in Tampa bay for one year.
January 22nd, 2020 at 7:26 am
Unless your a running back away from the super bowl don’t waste your money on a free agent running back. There is too much mileage on them if your building a team for the playoffs. There are plenty of good running backs in the draft at a much cheaper price and some just as good if not better, that is if you do your homework.
January 22nd, 2020 at 7:31 am
Do that and we canât keep my man Chris Godwin. And if we donât keep him Iâll be ultra pissed. Extend him right now.
January 22nd, 2020 at 7:32 am
What NOLES said.
Re-signing Suh seems overlooked among the priorities, but it sure seems heâs a catalyst and makes everyone around him better
January 22nd, 2020 at 7:38 am
Give the bengals anything they want to pick joe burrow donât care how steep the price is because talent like his does not come around very often. Get some offensive line help to replace Dotson, some safety help, and a running back then we are set after we resign the defensive line and let Winston walk. The money Winston wants would be better served
January 22nd, 2020 at 7:55 am
just draft an RB in the mid rounds…..
plenty to choose from…..
GO BUCS!!!!!!
January 22nd, 2020 at 8:27 am
Joe- “We need a running back”
“Just not that one” …smh
January 22nd, 2020 at 9:08 am
813 have to agree. Plenty of good RB’s in the draft this year. I’d rather see the money spent to extend Godwin, keep Perriman, or sign another O lineman.
January 22nd, 2020 at 9:20 am
Henry does not suit the Bucs scheme. He’d end up looking like LeVeon Bell as a NYJ…Overpaid vs the production he’s giving his new team.
I’d say there’s zero chance the FO dumps JPP money on RB position…And that’s about what it would take to sign Henry in FA. No going to happen!
January 22nd, 2020 at 10:20 am
We all know how this is gonna go. Offensive Tackle, and Defensive line in rounds one and two. Then Licht/Arians will bring in a veteran mid-level veteran free agent running back, and take a middle/late round RB to fill out the stable. Then itâll be running by committee.
Peyton is gone and Dare should be.
January 22nd, 2020 at 11:29 am
Thumbs down on Gordon.
January 22nd, 2020 at 12:12 pm
Army
BTW…me too 101st but only on the ground…never jumped.
I appreciate your desire for Burrow. I share it. But it’ll take a lot more than what you just offered. Perhaps if the Dolphins unload their boatload of picks but even then…not likely.
Burrow and the Bengals are the most perfect marriage of player and franchise since local FSU hero JW went to the Bucs.
Grew up right across the Ohio river…walking distance from the old
Riverfront stadium. Cousins still live there and are HUGE Bengal fans.
Burrow is a hometown hero. A kid with class and compassion whose humble Heisman acceptance speech raised a half million for the food bank in Athens…just 130 miles East of Cincy..because he remembered those he left behind.
He is a GREAT player for sure. He is a GREAT human being. He is LOCAL.
His father coyly said they’d be happy going anywhere but that Cincinnati would mean only a 2 1/2 hour drive to his seats in Paul Brown Stadium. And he added no matter who selects his son the NFL draft is set up to send him to a bad team with a poor record.
The sad truth is that Burrow is actually more valuable to the Bengals all things considered than he is to the Bucs.
January 22nd, 2020 at 2:19 pm
Miles, our pass rush improved because we brought in Shaq Barrett. But even then, it fell off until JPP came back. Maybe it doesnât fall off if we had an interior pass rush.
McCoy was the superior pass rusher this year and over their entire careers than Suh. Itâs illogical to assume that a lesser pass rusher made the pass rush better.
Teams have to account for every player on every play.
As for Aaron Donald, he still had 12.5 sacks, which is great for a defensive tackle and closer to his average. The entire Rams defense fell off the map. So did the offense. Everything that made them great the year before took a step back on both sides of the ball. The Rams have a ton of problems, and losing Suh isnât the reason for that
January 22nd, 2020 at 2:20 pm
Noles* ^^^^
January 22nd, 2020 at 5:28 pm
Kareem Hunt makes the most sense to me if we are considering a RB in free agency. KC offense is built like ours with regards to the O Line and wanting a pass catching RB. And yes I know he played for the Browns last year. His most productive years were with KC. Would come cheaper with all the talk of Henry ( beast) and Gordon.
January 22nd, 2020 at 9:44 pm
Someone please explain the difference Suh made over McCoy to Westendbuc !!! And someone else get him help before someone has him introduced to Mr and Mrs Baker !!!
January 22nd, 2020 at 9:44 pm
Kareem Hunt is a RFA…& CLE will likely set a Original Round terms for another team signing him away.
Doubt TB will give up a 3rd rd pick to get him, when they could have had him for basically nothing when he was on the street/suspended….Plus, with RB position being devalued by many clubs, Bucs could get better value by waiting on the draft.
January 23rd, 2020 at 5:15 pm
Cat: understood; but if we are prioritizing a RB in the 2nd or 3rd round, why not? It will cost more to sign, but a proven commodity.