Buccaneers: Defensive End options following tagging of Ezekiel Ansah
Buccaneers fans have been anxiously awaiting the day the Detroit Lions may let Ezekiel Ansah enter the open market, so Jason Licht could swoop in and bring him to Tampa Bay. With the team franchise tagging him this week, that possibility is gone.
So now, the Buccaneers will have to look towards free-agency as still their next opportunity to get a better pass rush, albeit with one fewer name on the list of potential targets.
Here are two more free-agents who won’t make as big a splash as “Ziggy” would have, but could have a positive impact on the team in their own right. Both of whom actually seem to have a fighting chance at being available.
Kony Ealy – New York Jets
In 2015, Ealy was a 24-year old nine game starter for the Carolina Panthers. He tallied five sacks and 32-tackles helping his team make it to the Super Bowl.
One year later, he started just six games but still came away with 32-tackles and five sacks. However, he had more solo tackles in 2017 than he had in 2016.
Then, he was traded to the New England Patriots. After that, he was traded to the New York Jets. He appeared in 15 games in 2017, made four starts and his stats showed the wear. One sack and fourteen tackles are all he had on his way to what appears to be the bottom.
I was a little surprised the Panthers traded him in the first place, and looking back, I wasn’t the only one.
Mick Smiley of the Cat Scratch Reader made some very good points in his write-up following the first trade back in March of 2017.
Now, with Ealy set to hit the market again, it may be time he come back to the NFC South.
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Aaron Lynch – San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers got themselves a former Buccaneers Lynch in 2017, now might be the time Tampa gets a Lynch in return.
Granted, fans of the Bucs would surely like to see John come back over Aaron coming in, but we take what we can get.
Aaron Lynch is another player who had a bright future ahead of him derailed by inconsistency and a little impatience by his franchise.
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By the time Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch arrived last year, this Lynch was so deep into the dog house there was no getting out.
However, in his four years, with two years as a cast-off he’s put up 83 tackles and fifteen sacks. All this while starting in just 19 games over those four years and appearing in just seven games total in 2017 and 2016 each.
In contrast, current Bucs starter Robert Ayers has 23 sacks over the past four years (two in Tampa and two with the Giants) while starting 32 games and appearing in 48.
I’m not saying Lynch is better than Ayers, but Lynch is turning 25-years old in about a week. This guy has proven potential, and more room to grow. An inspiring coach like Brentson Buckner just may be the change of scenery he needs. Oh, and he’s a USF alumni.
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These are two of the guys remaining in the free-agency pool who may get their shot to make an impact in Tampa for 2018.
Both have high upsides, will come cheap, and are still young enough to invest in as possible long-term pieces.
If William Gholston can’t develop into a more rounded pass rush player and Noah Spence is still on the mend, then there’s no doubt one or both of these guys would be welcome additions to the roster.
Who are some guys you’re looking at the team bringing in? How do you feel about these two specifically?
David Harrison is one of the Buccaneers Co-Experts for The Pewter Plank. You can reach him about this or any other NFL topic on Facebook, or on Twitter.
"The guys discuss whether or not the Buccaneers should have pursued Marcus Peters, on the latest episode of Locked on Bucs!"