Former Buccaneers that still need a home for the 2021 season
By Rob Leeds
The Buccaneers are set at linebacker
The Kwon Alexander departure was one that fans hated at the moment. Despite the injuries, Alexander was a very good linebacker during his time in Tampa and letting a star like that walk for little more than money is a tough sell for a team that is stuck in a decade-long rut.
Alexander had six sacks, six interceptions, and 346 tackles through his first three seasons with the Bucs. For a team with a lousy defense and no replacement waiting in the wings (yet), failing to pay Kwon looked like the same old song and dance that landed the Buccaneers in such a bad spot.
In the end, we have learned that the Bucs won this decision big time. Alexander still has a very high ceiling when healthy, but he hasn’t been able to keep his body together since leaving the team that drafted him. Availability is extremely important in the NFL, and Alexander doesn’t have that or his early levels of play going for him.
Despite decent stats supporting his abilities at the NFL level, Alexander is still a free agent due to the question marks around his health and his price. It’s hard to throw a bunch of money at a star like Alexander when the cap space is so tight, and he will probably not get much from a contract standpoint at this rate.
As it stands, Alexander’s best bet is to get a backup or prove-it contract to show that he still has some gas in the tank, even if that means going to a team that isn’t a contender. The Bucs are off the table.