The choice to, for all intents and purposes, let defensive end Michael Bennett walk away by Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik makes Joe scratch his head.

No, Bennett was not a first round draft choice, nor a second round draft choice. He was picked up off the rookie free agent scrap heap. Yet this free agent turned into a helluva defensive end.

No, he’s not Reggie White, but he’s the best the Bucs have, consider:

* Da’Quan Bowers has yet to play a full season, is playing on a knee that made him drop from maybe the first overall choice in the 2011 draft to a second round pick. Oh, and there’s that gun hassle in New York he is facing that may cause him to lose unknown playing time in 2014.

* Adrian Clayborn is coming off a nasty knee injury and surgery. There’s no way of knowing if he can bounce back to 100 percent. If someone suggests he will, Joe wants to know who this man is and Joe will hire him and his crystal ball to buy stocks. Anyone who dismisses Clayborn’s return as trivial has been visiting one of the fortune tellers on Madeira Beach.

There has been scuttlebutt that the Bucs are sniffing former Dixie Chicks defensive end John Abraham; one of a few teams rumored to be interested in Abraham. Alex Marvez of FoxSports.com looks at Abraham’s suitors.

Tampa Bay: Defensive end Michael Bennett appears headed for free agency after a nine-sack season in 2012. Tampa Bay has the salary cap room to re-sign Bennett so either the Bucs knows something that interested suitors don’t or have made a poor talent evaluation. Defensive ends Adrian Clayborn and Da’Quan Bowers were Tampa Bay’s first- and second-round draft picks in 2011. Clayborn is coming off a season-ending knee injury; Bowers was arrested this offseason in Queens, N.Y. for bringing a loaded gun to the airport. Abraham would provide insurance in case there are issues with either player and serve as a nice complement off the bench in pass-rushing situations.

Interesting that Marvez mentioned the Bucs. He may know something no one else does about Bennett. Frankly, Joe never thought of that angle. What that may be, well, you may have to revisit that Madeira Beach fortune teller.

Joe listened to Bill Polian recently on SiriusXM NFL Radio and Polian believes Abraham has little left in the tank. Polian suggested anything more than 15 plays a game for Abraham and towards the end of the season, Abraham will be on fumes.

Unless the Bucs think they can get a bargain with Abraham, and Bennett would be getting too high of a bid from other teams, this move still puzzles. Joe.

On the surface, it appears Bucs great Ronde Barber is keeping the Bucs in a holding pattern as he weighs his decision to come back for one more year or to hang up his cleats.

Joe is torn. He would love to see Barber return. At the same time, Joe believes Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik and coach Greg Schiano should proceed as if Barber is gone. To do otherwise is painting yourself into a corner.

Enter Tampa Tribune columnist Martin Fennelly. The longtime sports voice of Tampa Bay believes it is best for all parties if Barber would just announce his retirement after a proud NFL career.

The Bucs, looking to avoid another butchered goodbye to one of their icons, have made the smart play. They’ve apparently told Barber they wanted him back, but promised him no starting job. It’s up to him.

That should be Barber’s cue. It’s more than Derrick Brooks ever got. Man, did the Bucs mess that up. We don’t need that to happen to another good man.

It is an interesting angle Fennelly touches. Shoot, just yesterday, Joe got a Twitter from a Bucs fan suggesting Barber’s final offer from the Bucs was more than Brooks got; nerves are still raw from Bucs fans about how Brooks left the team.

This very well could be the best exit for all parties. Barber walks away, his body intact, his memories intact, his play still better than many. No team-hopping for two years in a desperate attempt to hang on to a career when Father Time, who is undefeated, thinks it’s better to turn the page.

Joe would welcome Barber back for one more lap around the NFL. The Bucs, however, should proceed as if he is retired.

Joe has stated this before and will type it again: if Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik pulled a Bill Walsh and drafted four cornerbacks in next month’s draft, Joe wouldn’t sleep.

Needing cornerbacks in the worst way, Dominik already has made preliminary communications with the reps of Dolphins cornerback Sean Smith, so documents Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune.

@RCummingsTBO: The Bucs have made contact with the agent for CB Sean Smith but there have been no substantive talks. Yet

“Yet” is the key word here. Joe has a hunch Dominik had already reached out to several agents for cornerbacks. If the Bucs sign two free agent corners and draft two corners before an OTA is held, then they  will have improved dramatically over the schlap that was trotted out there last year masquerading as NFL cornerbacks.

UPDATE: Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports Twittered the Bucs are one of three teams who are likely to land Smith.

@JasonColeYahoo: Leading candidates for CB Sean Smith, as if this moment, appear to be Tampa Bay, Arizona and Pats. But things are fluid.

Joe was as shocked as the next hungover Bucs fan this morning when he learned Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik inked little-used and recently ineffective running back LeGarrette Blount to a new pact.

But this is a potential smokescreen writes good guy CBSSports.com’s NFL insider Jason LaCanfora, who has been told Dominik is shopping Blount to other clubs.

Blount could fetch a mid-round pick in return — some have suggested a fifth-round pick — and with him not being a part of the offense much last year under new coach Greg Schiano, and with rookie runner Doug Martin coming off an exceptional season, it makes sense that Tampa Bay would try to get a pick in return for Blount.

Thus a trade would be a win-win, and with Detroit among the teams in need of a back, and Blount younger than most of the options in free agency, general manager Mark Dominik should be able to get something in return for the player.

This makes perfect sense. Joe has always been of the mind good running backs are a dime a dozen and can be found in the middle to late rounds. Hell, Blount was a free agent left available by the Titans.

And we all know what Dominik likes to do with extra middle-round draft picks, right? Joe’s mouth is already watering for the draft.

The Bucs defensive end desperately in need of a nickname, Daniel Te’o-Nesheim, has been offered a restricted free agent tender offer by the Bucs.

It’s the lowest possible tender that will score him $1.3 million in 2013, per BSPN, and it’s unlikely another club will come calling.

If another team signed Te’o-Nesheim away, it would have to give the Bucs a third-round draft pick, and that’s not likely to happen.

Te’o-Nesheim was a rockstar general manager Mark Dominik plucking from the Eagles practice squad midway through the heinous 2011 season.

He’s no superstar, but the guy did start 14 games for Adrian Clayborn on the best run-stuffing line in the NFL, notched four sacks, and stayed healthy. Te’o-Nesheim is a young, effort player, and the Bucs rewarded his work.

With all due respect to Bucs icon Ronde Barber, hasn’t he had enough time to think about his 2013 return?

The Buccaneers issued a statement this morning from rockstar general manager Mark Dominik, who made it very clear the ball is in Ronde Barber’s court.

“Coach Schiano and I met with Ronde this past week and expressed our desire for him to return to play another season with the Buccaneers. He asked us for some time to make his decision and we certainly respect that.”

Joe thinks it’s highly likely Barber will decide by Monday. But it’s not out of the question that he wants to wait longer, which would force the Bucs’ hand in free agency to obtain a safety, or look toward 2013 with Ahmad Black, Cody Grimm and Keith Tandy competing for a starting job.

The unknowns here are money, and what role the Bucs want for Barber. Perhaps the New Schiano Order is only guaranteeing Barber a role on passing downs but nothing else. And maybe the salary has Barber having second thoughts.

Hopefully, Bucs fans will have an answer Monday.

The New Schiano Order hasn’t figured out how to use LeGarrette Blount effectively, but at least it knows Blount has value.

Rather than slap a restricted free agent tender on Blount — the deadline is Tuesday — and potentially risk losing him, Tampa Bay went ahead and inked Blount to a new contract, so reports Joel Corry of NationalFootballPost.com. Corry Twittered out details this morning.

                        @corryjoel –  LeGarrette Blount re-signed with the Bucs for 1 year at $1.75M ($1.25M-base salary, $350k-reporting bonus & $150k-workout bonus).

Yes, Greg Schiano wants a bell cow back and has one in Doug Martin. But the reality is the entire Bucs season could come crashing down without a quality backup running back. And Joe believes Blount is not only a guy that can be durable and can carry the load, if needed, he’s also an unused weapon.

Not to be ignored, Blount fixed his ball security issues from 2011, and didn’t record a fumble during the regular season or preseason.

Hopefully, running backs coach Earnest Byner can further develop Blount, and Mike Sullivan can figure out how to use him effectively. The Ravens cut Ray Rice’s carries by nearly 20 percent last season and won a Super Bowl.

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.

All indications from many sources are that Bucs defensive end Michael Bennett has played his last snap with the Bucs. An unrestricted free agent, and the leader of the Bucs in sacks (nine), Bennett is expected to get stupid money from desperate teams on the open market.

And it appears the Bucs are willing to let him loose.

But there is still a glimmer of hope for Bucs fans, per Joe’s good friend Justin Pawlowski. “The Commish,” of WHFS-FM 98.7. Pawlowski Twittered last night that Bennett will give Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik one last chance.

@CommishOnline: I can confirm that Bucs DE Michael Bennett will most likely leave Bucs during free agency, but will give them a chance to match any offer.

Well, that’s how it should be. Joe understands Dominik has a specific figure budgeted for Bennett and, if someone is going to pay him crazy money, well, good for Bennett.

It’s good of Bennett that he will give the Bucs one more shot. If for some odd reason other teams aren’t wild about Bennett, the window is open for a return.

Less than an hour after NFL teams were allowed to talk turkey with player representatives of free agents about jobs, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times writes that the Bucs want Ronde Barber to return.

One of the greats to ever wear a Bucs uniform spoke with Stroud at Eddie DeBartalo’s shindig Friday night and Barber said, while the Bucs want him back, he’s not so sure he wants to play another year of NFL football.

“They want me to play, but they have left it up to me like they have pretty much every year,” Barber said at the DeBartolo Family Foundation All-Star Celebrity Gala. “I’ve got time, so I’m going to take my time.”

What does this tell Joe? While the Bucs want Barber to return, Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik isn’t going to sit still about adding a safety whether that is in free agency or the draft.

Look, clubs cannot be painted in a corner like this. Would Joe love to see Barber return? You bet. But the Bucs cannot sit on their hands waiting for Barber to make a decision.

As much as Joe loves Barber, who should be a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame some day, the Bucs need to address their woeful defensive backfield ASAP. If Barber decides to be a member of that group, great.

The Bucs cannot wait on Barber’s decision — when will he decide, June? — while other teams gobble up or draft players that could fill Barber’s position.

Jimminy Christmas! Just how many fancy toys does Josh Freeman need to drive the Bucs’ offense into the playoffs?

Apparently, he needs one more Pro Bowl gun, so penned ESPN NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas during a live chat today.

Ryan (NJ) – Any new info about Revis and Tampa? I know they said they weren’t going to be big spenders, but Revis is the best player at a position where the Bucs desperately need improvement on.

Also, any new word on Welker?

Pat Yasinskas: Bucs will be rumored to be interested in every big name because they have so much cap space. They won’t all be true. But I expect them to make a few big moves and Revis and Welker would both make sense.

Look, Joe would cheer like a madman for Wes Welker if he landed in Tampa Bay. It would be exciting, and Joe would be eager to see the Bucs run a load of three-wide-receiver sets and see how that could open up the running game for Doug Martin.

That written. Does Welker really “make sense” for the Bucs, as Yasinskas writes?

The Bucs would have to pay Welker at least Vincent Jackson money, aka $11 million per season. Has a team ever had two receivers making that kind of coin? And throw in the Bucs are supposedly working on a big-money extension for Mike Williams.

Joe doesn’t think Welker makes sense, despite the fun factor involved. For the same money, the Bucs likely could score a Grade A tight end and a punishing right tackle.

One of the great mysteries of the Bucs’ offseason has been solved. Whether Ronde Barber wanted to keep playing was unknown to Bucs fans and media, but twin brother Tiki Barber says Ronde wants to play.

Ronde and Tiki Barber are close. Anyone who’s listened to Ronde interviewed over the years has heard him talk about how he and Tiki are always communicating and supporting each other. Joe even remembers Ronde saying recently how he never would have considered attending a different college than his brother.

So Joe considers Tiki Barber the best source on Ronde outside of Ronde himself.

Yesterday, Tiki took to the 98.7 FM airwaves  to chat with hosts Booger McFarland and Rich Herrera, and Tiki revaled Ronde’s desire to suit up in September for his 17th NFL season.

Booger McFarland: What’s your gut feeling on, No. 1, if Tampa is going to want him back, and No. 2, does he really want to continue playing?

Tiki Barber: You know, he does. And there’s been some rhetoric around his motivation. “He’s too beat up; he can’t do it anymore.” But I’ve talked to him multiple times over the last month and a half and it’s been the same. He’s told me this is the best he’s felt after a season in many years. Obviously, [last year] he broke his forearm at the end of the year and there was some question on whether he would come back or Mark Dominik would want him back with the new coaching staff. But his veteran presence has been so valuable to that secondary. And we know, Booger, you know, and your fans know, there’s a bunch of knuckleheads, mainly because of youth on that secondary. They need a veteran presence, so I think there is a desire to have Ronde back.

Joe’s ecstatic that Barber wants to return. Now the big question is whether the Bucs will pay Barber what he might be seeking, and is the New Schaino Order willing to give Barber a role on the Bucs that suits him. Many believe Mark Barron is more suited for free safety, Barber’s position.

Tiki went on to say he believes Ronde adjusted well to safety and the “field general role suited him.” Tiki also said Ronde has been exploring opportunities outside football and the Bucs planned to meet with Ronde yesterday to discuss his future with the team.

On a personal level, Tiki said he’s been encouraging Ronde to retire.

First, Joe finds the “knuckleheads” line from Tiki telling. Joe wonders whether that covers only the Adderrall Twins, Eric Wright and Aqib Talib, or others.

Last fall by far the most common question Joe fielded from readers and fans was, “When are the Bucs going to sign Stanford Routt? (Sigh)

In recent weeks, easily the most common question Joe fields from readers and fans is, “When are the Bucs going to cut Eric Wright?”

Joe usually responds, “Why, are you planning a party?”

Well, for the people with pitchforks and lit torches marching in front of One Buc Palace demanding the carcass of Wright, Joe has some news. The next two weeks will likely determine if Wright is brought back for another season, or is released to the mob in the streets.

Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune notes that if Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik signs a free agent corner, Wright’s chances of staying with the Bucs is grim. And another move could seal his fate for certain, so Cummings wrights in a Bucs TBO Q&A.

Q. Bucs definitely need to dump (Eric) Wright, let Ronde (Barber) move back to corner and go after both free agents & top draft prospects.

Paul H. Hessler
Wesley Chapel

A. I see your point and I think the Bucs may be leaning that way. However, they have to be prudent here. If they can land a starting-caliber CB in free agency that will increase the chances Wright is let go before the draft. If they can land two starting-caliber corners in free agency it’s almost certain Wright will be let go before the draft. But what if the Bucs strike out in their pursuit of free agent corners and don’t cut a deal for Darrelle Revis? Then they may have no choice but to keep Wright around. Wright’s fate will almost certainly be determined by what the Bucs do in free agency and the draft. That’s why it may be a while before his fate is known.

Woody Cummings

Here one thing about keeping Wright. While he has replaced Myron Lewis as the most hated Bucs player (Bucs fans always have to have a player to hate), the Bucs had a winning record the when Wright was available.

Here’s another angle to ponder: Surely Wright’s agent knew Dominik could have jettisoned his client just after the season, voiding the second year of the contract because he was busted popping Adderall. There could be a chance Wright, who on Twitter has professed his desire to remain in Tampa Bay, directed his agent to rework his contract to a very team-friendly deal in order to remain employed.

If Dominik could keep Wright at a very low cost/incentive-laden pact, what’s the harm so long as Dominik continues to stockpile corners both in free agency and the draft?

So it may be a while before you can go out and buy your party hats, favors and kazoos.

“Show me the money, baby. Show me the love.”

Aside from what Ronde Barber is going to do in his immediate future — he met with the Bucs’ brass yesterday and both parties are tight-lipped about the meeting — the biggest question with Bucs free agents is what is going to happen to Michael Bennett.

Longtime Bucs beat writer Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times believes Bennett has played his final snap with the Bucs.

Tampa Bay plans to play Da’Quan Bowers, a second-round pick from Clemson in 2011, at left defensive end. They are confident he won’t miss games due to his gun charges in New York. And remember, a few years ago, he led the nation in sacks and was considered a top five pick until a knee injury dropped him in the draft.

The Bucs decided not to use their franchise or transition tag on Bennett, meaning they don’t think he’s an $11-million per year player. If he remained in Tampa Bay, he would be a nickel pass rusher if the Bucs plans to start Bowers were realized.

Here’s what Joe would like to know: Did the Bucs annoint Da’Quan Bowers the starter because Bennett is not coming back? Look, Joe likes Bowers a lot. And he has shown flashes of being dominant. But not only has he not been consistent, he has yet to play a full season and always seems to be hurt.

Letting Bennett walk, unless someone is going to drop stupid cash in his lap (a strong possibility), doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. The Bucs shouldn’t let their most productive pass rusher walk away if there is a chance to match his offer from another team, so long as it is not obscene money.

Having Bowers start at left defensive end has a bunch of potholes right now. Yes, there’s his health. Anyone forget that many expected Bowers to have a short career because of a bum knee? No, he hasn’t had any knee problems — yet. At least none anyone is aware of.

And who knows if he will be available in 2014 because of his handgun hassle in New York?

Oh, and what about that coveted rotation the Bucs always brag about on their defensive line because of the brutal early-season Florida heat? That goes out the window if Bennett is gone.

This is why Joe has had a hunch for months the Bucs would draft a defensive end in the first round. If what Stroud suggests comes true, it just reinforces Joe’s premise.

“There has never been a player that has ever been drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that left this organization because of money. And if you’re not drafting well over a long period of time, guys don’t get re-signed. Donald Penn? Re-signed. Davin Joseph? Re-signed. Big money contracts. And if you’re leading the way with free agency, and I think we’ve seen this over the years with teams, if that’s the way they lead the way, it hasn’t proven to be successful. We will be happy to spend in free agency. But we have got to build a team, and we have to draft well and build a foundation for this team. But we’re open-minded. Whatever we’ve got to do to win. — Joel Glazer, Jan. 2, 2012.

Team Glazer has said it numerous times; the Bucs have not lost a homegrown Buccaneer in free agency that they wanted to retain.

It’s been a common refrain from Team Glazer in past years when pressed about not spending money in free agency. Team Glazer has tried to drive home the point that poor drafting didn’t leave enough homegrown veterans to re-sign and the team didn’t want to dive into unrestricted free agency to build the core of the club.

Now Joe knows Michael Bennett was not drafted by the Bucs, but since Joel Glazer (see above) lumped undrafted Donald Penn onto the list of drafted players developed in Tampa and re-signed for big cash, Joe will consider Bennett a homegrown talent that the Bucs could and should re-sign and not lose to a higher offer. Bennett was an undrafted free agent in 2009, and the Bucs signed him that October after Seattle cut him.

So Joe is wondering whether the streak Team Glazer has referenced will be broken this season in the case of Bennett.

On paper, there is no logical reason to let Bennett walk. He was an absolute beast against the run. He rushed inside and outside. He notched nine sacks and forced three fumbles, and stayed healthy. He’s in his prime at 27 years old, and the Bucs are hardly deep at defensive end. Adrian Clayborn is coming off major knee surgery and is not versatile. DaQuan Bowers is not as good as Bennett, has yet to play a full season, and he’s got gun charges hanging over his head.

Joe can’t imagine any scenario in which the Bucs would not want Bennett to return — other than his price tag. If Bennett leaves town, Joe will consider the Glazer streak broken.

Joe was intrigued to see the ProFootballTalk.com story today about the Titans seeking to land a premier pass rusher in free agency.

This troubled Joe because former Bucs defensive line coach Keith Millard, possibly the only guy Joe wished would have hung around from the Raheem Morris administration, is entering his second season as the Titans’ “pass rush specialist” and Joe suspects Millard could push the Titans to bid on Michael Bennett.

When Millard left the Bucs, he and Joe had a very long and candid talk about all things Bucs, and Joe documented some of that chat in two parts. Joe remembers Millard talking about the ferocity of Michael Bennett and how Bennett and Gerald McCoy were the Bucs defensive linemen that could emerge as true team leaders, versus others like Roy Miller, Adrian Clayborn and DaQuan Bowers.

The Titans also can lure Bennett with two things the Bucs have: a mountain of cash under the salary cap, and no state income tax.

Joe wasn’t moved to write about this subject until Tampa Bay Times Bucs beat writer Stephen Holder typed up a bunch of theories on the Bucs backfield. Joe was a bit surprised by some.

One bizarre take goes to this one on Michael Smith, captain of the inactive list.

Smith didn’t play last season, a frustrating experience for the 2012 seventh-round draft choice, but don’t make assumptions about him based on that. I always got the sense the Bucs never intended to play Smith last season. Public and private statements from Greg Schiano and Mark Dominik suggest he very much is a part of the Bucs’ future plans.

For Joe, that makes no sense. First off, Smith did play last season. He was the Bucs’ opening day kickoff returner. He was No. 1 on the depth chart and returned three kickoffs, but the New Schiano Order saw something it didn’t like, whether that was on the field or in practice, where Joe was told Smith had ball security issues early in the 2012 campaign. Despite the need, the Bucs gave up on Smith as a return man, an area where they were desperate by NFL standards.

Also, it’s impossible to say Smith is part of the Bucs’ future, especially under a coaching staff that wants a bell-cow back system. Yes, Joe’s heard the loving comments about Smith from the Bucs’ brass, but like Derrick Brooks, Joe is not inhaling.

Smith turns 25 in August, and the Bucs shut him down after one game. Keeping it real, it’s going to be tough for Smith to make the 2013 roster. Not every team keeps four running backs.

Smith could be a practice squad target for the Bucs, but the problem is he’s unlikely to stay there. Smith is a west coast guy, who went to college in in Utah, and the Bucs have a dominant running back who is younger than him (Doug Martin). That’s a recipe for Smith to jump at an offer to join another team’s practice squad for a better opportunity closer to home.