Buccaneers Round Table: Defensive Keep, Trade, Release

Jerry Stalheim

Keep One, Trade One, Let Walk: Gerald McCoy, Lavonte David, or Brent Grimes?

Yikes … I tell you what I think that the Pewter Plank Editors are playing with fire last week they have us keep, trade, release three offensive players … and the Buccaneers get embarrassed in Arizona and Winston gets hurt.  Now you guys want us to keep, trade, or release three defensive players? Come on man, our defense already is playing horrible and we can’t risk losing anyone else to injury, so you sure that you want us to do this article … especially near Halloween and just after Friday the 13^th?

Same basic principle as the previous article is who to keep is usually youngest promising guy, trade player in their prime, and release oldest player but on the defensive side with these three players they all play such a different intricate role to the defense that it will be hard to follow that principle but here goes ….

KEEP ONE

Gerald McCoy

I am choosing to keep McCoy because he is basically our only pass rush on the defensive line that we have had since the days of Simeon Rice and Warren Sapp, and even though he has not been able to break the Buccaneers long streak of not having a player with 10 sacks in a season he has been the most consistent sack artist on the team.   Averaging seven sacks a season with a career high of 9.5 in 2013 he is already third on the Buccaneers all-time sacks list (since sacks became an official stat in 1982) with 44.5 career sacks.  Just being a force on the defensive line that constantly gets double teams and still can put up those sack numbers is huge for a team that doesn’t produce a lot of sacks, and hopefully when/if we get that defensive end that can produce McCoy will see less double teams and be an even better defensive lineman.

On to the player of the remaining two who I would trade (gulp) …

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TRADE ONE

Lavonte David

I would have said Brent Grimes if he was not 34 years old even though he is playing lights out at corner, but instead I chose to trade Lavonte who in just five seasons and 81 games with the Buccaneers is already fifth on the Buccaneers all-time tackle list with 682 total tackles, and is clearly a force on the line backing core.  Who prior to last season led the team in tackles every season of his career averaging 148 total tackles per season.

Also achieving 18 sacks in his career and ten interceptions he is clearing an all over the field linebacker who along with Kwon Alexander could be the force at linebacker that the Buccaneers had with Derrick Brooks and Shelton Quarles.

Now to the reason that I would try to trade him IF you are going to make me is that being 27 years old as GM you are most likely to be able to get a good draft pick or two for his services or maybe even a quality starter at another position of need that the Buccaneers may have, but I would only trade him if you were to get a quality offer in return.

LET WALK

Brent Grimes

Grimes clearly being the oldest of the three options would be the most likely let walk/release option but is a very difficult choice since he is one of the best players in the secondary and would be a huge loss, but since he is 34 years old and there have already been comments of this could be his last season before he retires it only makes sense.

Although he has produced five interceptions in his 20 games as a Buccaneers player and has been able to shutdown most of the elite receivers that he has had to cover including most recently Odell Beckham Jr still of these three options at age 34 he could be hard to get a worthwhile pick in a trade and would be hard to keep other then for a few more seasons.  Of these three options then he would be the release let walk option even though without him I am not sure how good our secondary would be with the current talent but some free agent signings and a draft pick could replace him.

Those are my options of who to Keep, Trade, and Let walk and if we lose this weekend and Grimes, McCoy, or David get hurt like Winton did last week I am total blaming the two PewterPlank co-editors for jinxing the team.   It isn’t our fault Gerald, Lavonte, or Brent it is the blame of David Harrison and James Yarcho for causing this curse or jinx.  HA HA Just kidding, we thankfully get to keep them all and hopefully this team improves greatly and goes on another win streak and makes the playoffs.

GO BUCS!!!