3 underrated free agents Buccaneers should sign ahead of Training Camp

One of the most turned-over positions on the Bucs roster this offseason was at safety. Only one player ended up returning from last year's group of safeties, as Antoine Winfield is the lone holdover while guys like Mike Edwards and Keanu Neal left to sign elsewhere.

Noal Turner was on the roster last year and is back, but he's more of a fringe rotational player and not someone who was going to step into one of the vacated roles created by someone who left. That's why the Bucs went out and signed Ryan Neal away from the Seahawks, and it's a reason why they should consider what it might cost to bring in John Johnson III from Cleveland.

Johnson might have had a quiet season stint with the Browns, one that saw his PFF grade drop into the low-60s, but he has the ability to be one of the best safeties in the league when he plays up to his level of talent. We saw the kind of guy he can be when he was part of a bruising Rams defense in 2020 and even had some flashes with Cleveland despite taking a bit of a step back.

The Bucs would be gambling on that: Johnson having taken a step back and needing a place to redeem himself rather than the last two seasons being a sign of his decline. His mediocre few seasons with the Browns likely brings his price down, but the Bucs would still be getting a guy who only allowed around a 50 percent completion percentage and a vet who fits the Chip On His Shoulder vibe the team has this season.

Another former Browns player, no less.

Johnson would have to accept a rotational role, as it seems Winfield and Neal are the safety duo Todd Bowles is going to roll with. The Bucs also have some intriguing UDFA candidates vying for roster spots, but you can do worse than taking Johnson for a ride in training camp and seeing if you can find a hidden gem.