Buccaneers: Who will stay and who can go
Buccaneers free agents part 2
Deone Bucannon
Bucannon is likely safe with the Buccaneers. Tampa, in my estimation, is going to try to keep as many of these players as possible. In the scheme of things, I don’t believe any other NFL team will pay him significant money, at least not enough to make him leave the good thing he has going in Tampa.
Jack Cichy
Cichy’s ticket may already be punched since Tampa did not make him a qualifying offer. Whether that means he will be going, only the next few weeks can tell. But in the meantime, it doesn’t look like the Buccaneers have any long term, or for that matter short term, plans for the linebacker.
Ross Cockrell
Cockrell may survive free agency, and he did serve well when the Bucs were down a few corners late in the season. But given the Bucs propensity for picking cornerbacks, it’s hard to tell what will become of him. My guess is, he stays if he is cheap enough.
Leonard Fournette
Playoff Lenny’s future may already have fallen into place by the time this is published. As much as I like him, the Bucs’ interest in James White may make him expendable. And, even though there were “promises” made in the reverie of the Super Bowl excitement, what happens when nip meets tuck is another thing altogether. There is room for movement in the RB room, and Lenny may not be the only player on the block.
LeSean McCoy
McCoy’s days are numbered at OneBuc place. Ironically, he managed to find himself on the rosters of the last two teams that won Super Bowls. It’s notable, however, that he did not get to play in either game. The Bucs will likely let him find another team to play for and possibly earn his third ring in three years. But I still like the odds for Tampa winning LVI over the odds of Shady finding another spot on a championship team.
Blaine Gabbert and Ryan Griffin
The Bucs will likely keep just one player. And, from the look of things last season, that would leave Griffin as the QB on the block. It’s not that Griffin is bad, but at some point, the Buccaneers are going to have to groom a future quarterback, and that is not Griffin. There’s a reason why he’s still QB3 at Tampa.