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Bucs Spent Wisely In Free Agency

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By ROY CUMMINGS

rcummings@tampatrib.com

Published: March 14, 2009

TAMPA - The free agency signing period is only two weeks old, yet already winners and losers are being determined. Oddly, the Bucs are seldom, if ever, mentioned among the victors.

Many, in fact, have pointed to the Bucs' failure to land Albert Haynesworth or Matt Cassel and the fact they still have most of the $61 million in salary cap space they started with, and have pegged them as losers.

The big winners in free agency, though, are not the teams that spend the most. They are the teams that spend the wisest. With many of their objectives already met, the Bucs appear to have spent very wisely.

Their primary objective, of course, was to retain several key free agents, including quarterback Luke McCown, receiver Antonio Bryant and safety Jermaine Phillips.

Receiver Michael Clayton, tight end Jerramy Stevens and cornerback Phillip Buchanon were on their keeper list, too, and the only one who got away was Buchanon.

Jovan Haye got away, too, signing with the Titans. But Haye wasn't a good fit in coordinator Jim Bates' new defensive scheme, so in terms of keeping the free agents they wanted to keep, the Bucs appear to have won the battle going away.

Another top objective was to find a complement to running back Earnest Graham. The Bucs did that by signing what was arguably the best running back in the market in Derrick Ward.

Though he has few starts in his career, Ward has the ability to gain 1,000 yards and is precisely the kind of powerful, downhill runner the Bucs want in their new power rushing attack.

The Bucs wanted to beef up their receiving corps as well this spring, and the addition through trade of former Cleveland Browns first-round draft pick Kellen Winslow should do that.

Though listed as a tight end, Winslow can also be effective lining up wide or in the slot, and the Bucs plan to take full advantage of those unique attributes by having him and Stevens on the field together a lot.

And while it didn't jump out as a need, the Bucs improved their kicking game by signing Mike Nugent, who is five years younger than Matt Bryant and a lot more accurate from that critical range of 40 yards or more.

Those are the successes so far. They're easily enough to make the Bucs one of free agency's early winners. There's a lot left for the Bucs to do, though, and thankfully, there's plenty of free agency left, too.

The market remains open all the way until training camps begin in late July. Between now and then, the Bucs must add another quarterback, a backup tackle and a cornerback to replace Buchanon.

They could use another linebacker or two as well, but as we've said time is on their side. So is the draft, which should offer the Bucs a chance to grab an impact player, at least in the first round.

The likes of outside linebackers Brian Cushing and Clay Matthews of USC, defensive tackle Peria Jerry of Mississippi and cornerback Vontae Davis of Illinois should be available to the Bucs, who have the 19th pick.

Landing any one of those players would only add to the success the Bucs have already had reshaping their team, and it's the big picture that matters most in the offseason.

The idea is to get better through free agency, trades (if possible) and the draft. The Bucs are well on their way to doing that. At the very least they're off to a good start.

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