4 big name free agents Buccaneers should sign before mandatory minicamp
By Josh Hill
It wasn't a particularly active free agency period for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when it came to adding outside talent. Rather than get into bidding wars, the Bucs spent most of the early offseason days trying to bring their own top players back -- and it worked.
Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans both signed extensions before the legal tampering period opened and guys like Antoine Winfield Jr., Lavonte David, and Chase McLaughlin all returned on new deals. Even moves the Bucs made outside of its own walls were reunions, as Jordan Whitehead is back after spending the last few seasons with the Jets.
Just because the Bucs sat things out in the initial waves of free agency doesn't mean they should ignore the market now that it has settled. There are still a handful of notable free agents looking for work, and a few of them make perfect sense as late-offseason signings that coudl pay off big for Tampa Bay.
4 big name free agents Buccaneers should sign before mandatory minicamp
Ryan Tannehill, QB
Last season the Bucs took a chance on a quarterback who most had written off and ended up potentially finding their franchise guy. Baker Mayfield revived his career while leading Tampa Bay to a third straight NFC South title and a trip to the Divisional Round, all of which was rewarded with a new three-year extension.
Quarterback is still a bit of a question mark for the Bucs, though, even if Baker is clearly the guy moving forward. It's not the starting job Tampa Bay needs to consider this offseason, it's the backup role behind Baker.
We almost approached a nightmare scenario when Baker needed to leave a game against Indianapolis with an apparent injury which meant the keys were handed over to Kyle Trask. If the Buccaneers want to be serious about contending then a contigency plan that's better than Trask needs to be put in place in the event Mayfield misses time.
Tampa Bay got lucky last year that the oft-injured Mayfield played in all 17 games, but that can't be a reason to ignore giving him a better backup. Trask might be a fine quarterback some day but the Bucs handing things to Ryan Tannehill if Baker goes down will make everyone feel a lot better -- and give the team a much better shot at competing -- than if the season suddenly rests on the unproven shoulders of Trask.