Buccaneers: Richard Sherman could be a viable target

Could the Buccaneers be eyeing a potential upgrade at cornerback via the trade market? Some have heard whispers.

Buccaneers fans are back to full blown panic mode after defensive end Michael Bennett was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a fifth round pick and wide receiver Marcus Johnson. The Buccaneers were reportedly “in” on trade talks for Bennett, but ultimately fell short. We don’t know the specifics yet, but it’s only a matter of time before they emerge.

However, there are rumblings that the Bucs may be interested in trading for another Seahawk defensive player – cornerback Richard Sherman.

First, there were the reports that Sherman wasn’t expecting to return to the Hawks and that the dominant corner was saying bye to his teammates as he expected to be dealt;

(NOTE: Rapoport noted later he meant “bares” watching, not that the Chicago Bears were watching…)

Sherman texted he wasn’t sure what all the fuss was about, denying the report;

Now, maybe that’s true. Maybe there is some false information floating out there. Or, maybe the Seahawks asked him to do them a solid any deny the report so that his trade market wouldn’t die off in hopes that Seattle would just cut him and his $11 million dollar salary and in return they would help facilitate a trade for him to one of the teams he would prefer to play for. Now, that is strictly speculation on my part, but where there’s smoke there’s usually fire and I find it hard to believe that these reports began flying this morning, Sherman had a meeting scheduled with the team, and he had “no idea” why insiders were saying he is on the way out. Not to mention, his own mother said as much on Facebook;

Finally, there is a link to the Buccaneers – which goes beyond the Instagram theory that I floated on twitter before being informed that common follows show up first, not most recent follows;

Benjamin Albright – who by and large does a good job of reporting things early on and is far more often than not correct, said he heard whispers that Sherman may be traded last week, but nothing was concrete. Today, when the Sherman rumor mill was hot, he said the team he heard floated out there as the one interested was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

This makes sense on a few levels. For starters, the Buccaneers haven’t re-signed Brent Grimes yet and outside of Grimes would still need more help at corner. Should Sherman be a one year rental, that would allow him and Grimes to line up on the outside while leaving Vernon Hargreaves at the slot while developing a young, rookie corner. The other thought is that if the Bucs trade for Sherman, they could spend the bigger money on a guy like Trumaine Johnson for the next five year, while still developing a rookie corner, that would allow Johnson, VH3, and cornerback X to be the tandem moving forward should Sherman move on in free agency.

The Seahawks, for as dominant as they’ve been defensively over the past few seasons, are blowing things up and essentially starting from scratch. Earl Thomas may also be out the door soon.

It’s very much a buyer’s market right now and they could likely get Sherman as a rental player for a day three pick considering he’s coming off an Achilles injury. This is one of those moves that’s worth the risk. Sherman doesn’t have an extensive injury history and if things work out, he may be the Bucs’ next Grimes – and aging, still effective veteran that can mentor what is certain to be a young secondary room for the next few seasons.

Next: Free Agent Spotlight - Ryan Jensen

It’s not crazy to consider the likelihood…and it just might work.