Vital trades that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers need to make

Trade away safety Justin Evans

The first move for the Buccaneers to make that is also a no-brainer is to trade away Justin Evans for even bare minimum compensation. Evans showed a spark when he played that would make this move difficult to stomach at first, but in the end, it would be the prudent move.

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Evans’ rookie season showed a player that could be the answer at safety for the Bucs going forward. Tampa struggled with rampant turnover at the position for nearly a decade, and his presence would be at least one constant that could be counted on.

Unfortunately, injuries may have derailed Evans’ career before he could cement a spot on the roster. After investing draft picks and free-agent money at the position for the last two years, the Bucs need to move on from Evans.

At this point, no one knows when or if Evans will ever return. However, the one sure thing is that the Bucs really like Mike Edwards and Jordan Whitehead.

With Antoine Winfield Jr. looking like a lock to start at free safety and with the previous two competing for Evans’ former position at strong safety, the best move is to see what compensation is offered for Evans.

It may not be much, but the Buccaneers don’t need a three-way competition for the position, especially with a player that has struggled with terrible injury luck.

If the Bucs can recoup a mid to late-round pick for Evans rather than letting him walk for nothing down the road, they will get some return from their investment, and they would also free up some much-needed cap space going forward.