3 free agents who could improve Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster

OT Ryan Schraeder

For anyone who has watched this Buccaneers this year could tell you, the offensive line this season has been abysmal. The interior of the line has been able to hold its own when healthy and Alex Cappa is seeming like a solid part of the core line for the future. Unfortunately, the tackles on the outside have been struggling with the pass rush and are causing Jameis to be sacked at a frightening rate.

Jameis has shown that his ceiling is very high. To make it clear, when at his best Jameis plays well within the realm of a top 10 quarterback. The issue up until this point has been that Winston plays at an inconsistent level week to week. The fluctuations in play have caused Jameis’ future to come into doubt, but it would be extremely unlikely for the front office to part ways with the former Heisman Trophy winner.

The play from Demar Dotson and Donovan Smith has been less than stellar despite their high cap hit (nearly 17 million dollars between the two). Assuming the Bucs plan to continue their venture with Jameis (which is the most likely scenario), the Bucs will need better protection for Jameis.

If Jameis stays on for next year, the Bucs will have to invest a high-round pick into a tackle, but for the time being with the current play from the tackles it seems more and more likely that Jameis could become injured with the number of sacks that he faces.

Ryan Schraeder will not be flashy, but a veteran tackle that spent significant reps on a Super Bowl contenting Falcons team with 73 starts under his belt could be an answer to reducing some of the sacks. Is it game-changing? Likely not, but the Buccaneers will need to start finding players that can actually protect their quarterback and soon.