Here are five familiar players the Buccaneers may release prior to week one of the 2017 season.
It may be an off time for the NFL as far as on the field, but it is far from an off time for people like Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht. Obviously he works hard all year, but one could argue that we are in his busiest time. Right now, he is in the final two weeks of preparation for the NFL draft. He is evaluating and making his final draft board. He is also reviewing the remaining free agents to see if any of them could potentially bring the Bucs some help.
Though it is early, he is also evaluating the current roster. Publicly, he will tell you that none of that happens until the team hits the field for workouts. That’s the right thing to say, but it’s only human nature to think about what this roster is going to look like. Where is he going to make changes to the depth chart? Who needs to go to make room for draftees? Those thoughts are starting to happen, believe me.
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As bloggers, we don’t have to be shy about the fact that we are already having those thoughts. The offseason is a time where two things happen in blogs; review and speculation. We all are speculating about what is going to happen with the draft.
This morning, the speculation is a little bit different.
This morning we are taking a look at the current roster. Obviously it’s an early look, since the draft and workouts have not occurred yet. But either way, we can start to see how this roster might be shaping up. We know the needs, and we have an idea of where the team may be going in the draft.
So let’s speculate. This morning, we present four players that could be released prior to week one of the 2017 season. Some may be obvious, others may not be. Again, these are just early thoughts based on the roster, performance, and potential changes on the horizon.
Roberto Aguayo
The button did say the obvious answer. I figured I would start with the one that made everyone go, “Duh, no kidding”.
We all know the story here. There was a lot of noise last year when Licht made the move to select Aguayo. Who picks a kicker that high? It never happens, but when Licht wants his guy he does what he has to in order to get him. He was the most accurate kicker in college football history, so Licht was banking on the fact that it would translate to the pros. It’s not as if he didn’t kick in big games, coming from Florida State.
How did that work out for us? Not so well would be an understatement. His field goal percentage was a mere 71%. He missed extra points and field goals virtually every time we turned around. Aguayo became known around the league, but not the way he hoped. Early returns were calling him one of the bigger busts of the 2016 draft.
Now, we all know that one year isn’t long enough to judge a draft pick. However, leaving points behind is unacceptable. The Bucs had the intention of bringing in competition for Aguayo, and that is exactly what they did with the signing of Nick Folk. Folk, an accomplished NFL kicker, will not just serve to push Aguayo. He is a career 81% field goal kicker, and he wants to continue kicking. Jets fans didn’t call him the “Folk hero” for nothing.
Licht may not want to, but he won’t hesitate to make a mistake and say goodbye to Aguayo in favor of stability at the kicking position.
Luke Stocker
It’s not that this next player can’t play at all, he just may not have a role on this team going forward.
When Stocker joined the Bucs back in 2011, he showed some promise as a pass catcher, with 12 receptions his rookie year and 16 the next year. The last few years have not been kind. The last three years have yielded seven, nine, and five receptions, respectively. He has served the role of a blocker quite well. However, when asked to be a pass receiving target, he just hasn’t been up to par.
Last season was a breakout year for Cameron Brate. After a mere 23 receptions in his second season he went crazy in 2016, posting 57 receptions for 660 yards and eight touchdowns. At times he was THE secondary target to Mike Evans. Jameis Winston came to rely on him. A lot. He also graded out as a better blocker than Stocker (per Pro Football Focus).
There has even been interest in adding a tight end during the draft. Some have shown that the team has interest in O.J. Howard, should be come within reach. David Njoku is another name that comes to mind, as well as players that are slated to be later picks. With players like Brate at their disposal as well as others, is it out of the realm to think that Stocker could lose his role?
After all, if released, Stocker costs the team exactly nothing in dead money (per Spotrac). Licht and Koetter could easily be compelled to let Stocker go.
Charles Sims
Yes, Charles Sims. That guy. You might be surprised here, but don’t get mad until you read the theory.
The 2016 running game for the Bucs was simply not any good. We know that. Was Doug Martin at the forefront of the problem? Sure, but Sims was not far behind. He was active for seven games and just didn’t put up the numbers while he was available. Did he flash? Yes. But the change up back needs to give more than 2.9 yards per carry and 24 receptions. That isn’t going to cut it, and in his rookie year of 2014, the numbers were nearly identical.
The team is going to work on the position in the draft. We don’t know the future of Martin. We do know that the team is interested in Dalvin Cook and the feeling is mutual. Cook is a guy that can make plays both as a runner and as a receiver. He is a game breaking back. The Bucs have already retained Jacquizz Rodgers, who excelled when called upon, and certainly would be fine in the change up role.
If Peyton Barber, for example, has a solid training camp, why couldn’t he unseat Charles Sims? Has Sims done anything to make him untouchable? Hardly. It’s fair to say that is seat is not safe. If they were to release him, according to Over the Cap, his dead money amounts to $171, 023. Wow, what a big hit, that will certainly put them in cap jail.
If it plays out, the Bucs could release Sims, easily.
Keith Tandy
The safety position is a bit thin as we talk today, so this is a bit of a stretch. However, it’s not an unreasonable one.
Tandy picked things up in 2016, posting career highs in interceptions (4) and total tackles (52). His interception against the Chargers was so good it became one of our nominees for Play of the Year. James Yarcho took the opposite view of this, predicting that Tandy will start in 2017. That certainly isn’t unreasonable by any means, but the coming months could lead things in another direction.
We have seen evidence of a turn in direction at the safety position. J.J. Wilcox was signed from the Cowboys. Chris Conte has been re-signed. Am I saying that Ronnie Lott is in this group now? No, I am not. But the fact is that moves are being made to revamp the position. As we all saw, the Bucs didn’t exactly light the world on fire with their pass defense.
According to Spotrac, Licht can get out of the Tandy contract without any dead money. It would only be a slight cap savings of $840,000, but every bit helps. Many draft experts, including our own David Harrison, believe the Bucs should go safety and do it early. If they do, and yes that’s an “if”, the guy with no guaranteed money could be the odd man out.
Not a guarantee, but saying it’s possible.
J.R. Sweezy
He was supposed to be the answer for Logan Mankins. Mankins retired, and the Bucs were looking for a veteran to help anchor the offensive line. Prior to the 2016 season, Sweezy signed a five-year, $32.5 million contract, including $14.5 million guaranteed (per Spotrac). The trouble is, we have no pictures of him in a Bucs uniform because he never became healthy enough to play last year. Sweezy spent the year injured.
Prudently, Jason Licht reworked the deal to remove guarantees and include incentives for being on the field. The Bucs are now protected if Sweezy is not able to see the field due to continued back problems. According to Jenna Laine of ESPN, his salary is $3.75 million in 2017, which per game bonuses to get him up to, potentially, $5 million for the year.
However, there are still many questions to be answered here. First of all, will Sweezy actually be ready to play. The team will need to see him in a full slate of camp workouts in order to fully evaluate him. Even if he does see the field, how good will he really be? If an offensive lineman has a bad back, it can make it quite difficult to stand your ground against your opponent. Sweezy on the field would be good, but not if he becomes a human turnstile.
Even with a $4 million cap hit, it is not unreasonable to think that Jason Licht will cut his losses and move on.
Next: Bucs Five Biggest Draft Busts
So what do you think of this list? Are there others that should be included? Let me know…