Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans are already looking to free agency and the draft to see what pieces Jason Licht and Dirk Koetter bring in to get them over the top.
Unfortunately, it’s now that time when Buccaneers fans across the country begin looking at the crop of pending free agents to see what positions of need will be supplemented heading into the draft. They want to see which big name guys come to town, or maybe which under the radar players – like Robert Ayers and Brent Grimes – can come in and make an immediate impact.
Free agency is a tricky thing. It certainly isn’t the best way to build a team. It is, however, a great way to set yourself up to draft the best player available come April. If your team is able to fill needs via free agency, there are no positions you have to reach for due to a glaring need on your roster.
In the past, the Buccaneers have brought in big named, high priced guys like Vincent Jackson, Dashon Goldson, Carl Nicks, and (via trade) Darrelle Revis. Now, how well did that work out? Now, they tend to let the big names go to the over-paying teams while they acquire talented and modestly priced players. This has allowed them to build up the third highest cap space in the NFL with more potentially becoming available.
This list is a mixture of players from both ends of the spectrum. Some high profile, high priced players while others may be the guys to look for on the second free agency wave after the big names are scooped up in the first 24-48 hours.
*DISCLAIMER – This list does NOT include any players from the Buccaneers that will become free agents in 2017. That does not mean they shouldn’t be considered*