Donte Whitner To Visit Panthers
6:31pm: Whitner won’t serve as an immediate threat to either Boston or Coleman if the Panthers sign him, reports Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer. Rather, he’d act as depth for a team currently dealing with injuries to reserve safeties Dean Marlowe, Marcus Ball and Trent Robinson.
5:22pm: Free agent safety Donte Whitner is headed to Carolina for a workout with the Panthers on Friday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
A three-time Pro Bowler, the 31-year-old Whitner immediately became one of the most accomplished free agents on the market when the Browns released him in early April. There hasn’t been much interest in Whitner since then, however, as his only prior visit came with the Rams a week after Cleveland released him.
In trying to find a landing spot for Whitner last month, PFR’s Dallas Robinson listed the Panthers as one of eight potential fits for the former Ohio State Buckeye. As Robinson wrote, Tre Boston – the Panthers’ prospective starter at free safety – doesn’t have Whitner’s track record. Boston has totaled just six starts since the Panthers chose him in the fourth round of the 2014 draft, and he only partook in 20 percent of their defensive snaps last season.
Having lost veteran defensive backs Josh Norman, Roman Harper and Cortland Finnegan in recent months, it’s possible reigning NFC champion Carolina isn’t comfortable turning to the relatively inexperienced Boston as a starting option. If the Panthers end up going with the more established choice, Whitner, he and fellow ex-Buckeye Kurt Coleman would form an enticing safety duo on paper.
Whitner, a 10-year veteran, has started in all 93 of his appearances since 2010. The last time Whitner started in fewer than 14 games in a season was in 2009, when he missed six contests. In 14 appearances last year, Whitner amassed 81 tackles, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Despite failing to pick off a pass for the first time since 2008, Pro Football Focus ranked Whitner as the league’s 24th-best safety among 89 qualifiers.
Since entering the league as Buffalo’s first-round pick in 2006, Whitner has racked up 143 starts in 146 appearances, 11 interceptions and 10 forced fumbles in his time with the Bills, 49ers and Browns.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Jets Considering Adding Right Tackle
Jets right tackle Breno Giacomini, who has been on the physically unable to perform list since July, admitted Thursday that his lower back strain might keep him out for the beginning of the regular season.
“I don’t know when I’ll be back. I’m probably like 80 percent speed right now. It’s not where I need to be, to be on the field,” Giacomini told reporters, including Darryl Slater of NJ.com.
[RELATED: Karlos Williams Hopes To Sign With Jets]
Starting the season on the PUP list – which will “probably” happen, according to Giacomini – would cause the 31-year-old to miss the Jets’ first six games. Like Giacomini, head coach Todd Bowles doesn’t seem optimistic about the 6-foot-7, 318-pounder’s status.
“It’s getting close [to Week 1], and he’s not practicing yet, so we’ll see. Unless he’s practicing, he’s not better. He can’t practice,” said Bowles.
As a result, Bowles acknowledged that the Jets “have talked about” adding outside help (via Connor Hughes of NJ.com). The problem, as Hughes notes, is the lack of intriguing options available.
The rival Giants were making a push to acquire the 49ers’ Anthony Davis earlier this month, but San Francisco didn’t feel inclined to move him then and it’s unclear if that has changed in recent weeks. Will Beatty, a former Giant, and Jake Long represent the two most established free agents on the market. Beatty, who worked out for the Panthers last week, missed all of last season after tearing his pectoral. Long, the No. 1 pick in the 2008 draft, has appeared in just 11 games over the past two years. He partook in four contests with the Falcons last season, though he didn’t garner any starts and has since seen a deal with the Ravens fall through after declining to sign an injury waiver.
If the Jets aren’t comfortable with Beatty, Long or any other free agents (Khalif Barnes and Jamon Meredith are a couple more possibilities), they could wait for a potentially more enticing tackle to hit waivers. Otherwise, either Ben Ijalana or Brent Qvale would fill in for Giacomini. Ijalana has seven appearances and zero starts on his resume. Qvale, meanwhile, suited up for all 16 of the Jets’ games in 2015, but the former undrafted free agent only made one start. Giacomini has started all 32 of the Jets’ contests at right tackle since 2014 and previously started in 33 of 41 appearances with the Seahawks.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/25/16
Thursday’s minor moves from around the NFL:
- The Vikings announced that they have waived cornerback Melvin White, whom they inked to a reserve/future contract in January. White signed with the Panthers in 2013 as an undrafted free agent from Louisiana-Lafayette and went on to appear in 30 games with the club. The last time he saw action, 2014, White made seven starts in 15 appearances and picked up 36 tackles and an interception. The 26-year-old has 17 starts, 83 tackles and three picks on his resume.
- The Chargers announced they’ve waived/injured outside linebacker Tyler Marcordes and signed center Bruce Johnson. Marcordes went undrafted out of Georgia this year before signing with the Bolts. Johnson – undrafted from Maine this year – spent three-plus months with the Eagles, who cut him Sunday.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Latest On Broncos’ Quarterback Competition
In news that could spell more trouble for Mark Sanchez, Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak revealed Thursday that experience will have “zero” impact on how he puts together the team’s depth chart at quarterback.
“I’m looking at what’s taken place the last six months: how they’ve handled themselves, how they’ve handled the team and how they respond to things. That’s what I’m looking at,” said Kubiak (via Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com).
Among Sanchez, Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch, the former is the only Broncos signal-caller with any real NFL experience. Sanchez, whom the Jets chose fifth overall from USC in 2009, has started in 72 of 75 career appearances with New York and Philadelphia. The majority of his appearances haven’t gone particularly well, though, which explains how the Broncos acquired the 29-year-old from the Eagles for a conditional seventh-round pick in the offseason. Sanchez’s track record of uninspired play has carried into Denver, where he has tossed an interception and lost two fumbles in parts of the club’s first two preseason games.
At 17 of 23 for 163 yards and a pick-six in the preseason, Siemian hasn’t exactly resembled an in-his-prime Peyton Manning this summer, either. Nevertheless, Siemian will start the Broncos’ important third exhibition contest against the Rams on Saturday. Siemian, whom the Broncos selected from Northwestern in the seventh round of last year’s draft, didn’t attempt a pass as a rookie, but the 25-year-old’s inexpensiveness could help give him the edge over Sanchez. Siemian is owed a minimum salary this year, while Sanchez is set to earn $4.5MM ($1MM guaranteed). The Broncos would save $3.5MM by releasing Sanchez, and they’d keep the pick they agreed to send to Philadelphia in exchange for his services.
Unlike Sanchez, there’s no chance Lynch is going anywhere. The first-round pick from Memphis has begun garnering some first-team reps lately, according to Legwold. However, the 6-foot-7, 244-pounder remains a work in progress – particularly with respect to calling plays – as Tom Pelissero of USA Today detailed Thursday.
“When I first got here, my head was kind of spinning,” Lynch told Pelissero. “I had the playbook. I was trying to learn everything. But now it’s kind of slowing down and I can come out here and relax and play a little bit. I’m a lot more confident.”
If Kubiak thinks the 22-year-old Lynch is capable of backing up Siemian (assuming he takes the starting job), Sanchez might find himself on the free agent market in short order.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Karlos Williams Hopes To Join Jets
No deal is imminent between the Jets and free agent Karlos Williams, who visited the team Tuesday and Wednesday, but the running back would like that to change. After the Jets hosted Williams, the former Bill posted a video on Twitter expressing a desire to sign with the club.
“I love New York, love being close to the city. I’d like to fly with the Jets, baby,” said Williams, who also stated that he met with the Jets’ general manager, personnel director, head of security and owner. However, as noted by Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, owner Woody Johnson was not in the building when Williams visited the team.
Williams didn’t get every detail of his trip to Jets facilities right, then, but he did shed more light on what he and club brass discussed.
“Asked me a lot of combine [type] questions, obviously. Want to know my background and my people. No offer yet, but it was a good visit,” commented the 23-year-old.
Although immensely talented, any team interested in Williams would need to do its due diligence before signing him, as the Jets have. Despite a rookie year in which he averaged 5.6 yards per carry, picked up 613 scrimmage yards and scored nine times on just 104 touches, the Bills cut the 2015 fifth-round pick over the weekend.
Williams fell behind in Buffalo’s running back competition this summer thanks to weight problems, and he’s suspended for the first four games of the regular season after violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. The rest of the league’s teams have taken notice, apparently, as the ex-Florida State Seminole passed through waivers unclaimed after Buffalo parted with him.
If Williams ultimately gets his wish to to join the Jets, he’ll further deepen a backfield that already looks strong. New York has a quality starter in Matt Forte, whom it signed in free agency, as well as a high-end reserve in Bilal Powell. Other options include Khiry Robinson, Antone Smith and Dominique Williams, as the Jets’ depth chart indicates.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Latest On Eagles’ Lane Johnson
Facing a 10-game ban for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances, Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson declared last week that he would appeal any suspension. Johnson backed off that statement to a degree Wednesday, according to Martin Frank of The News-Journal, saying that he’ll do “whatever is best for the team.”
The reason Johnson seems less adamant about an appeal is because it could simply delay the inevitable of a suspension. In the event Johnson challenges the league’s decision and plays while awaiting an appeal hearing, it would open him up to miss games later in the season if the punishment is upheld. A suspension beginning in Week 1 would keep Johnson out until Nov. 28, meaning the Eagles could get him back for a playoff push – if they’re still in the race, that is.
Further, Johnson doesn’t expect to win an appeal, conceding, “Even if you prove it (was tainted), there’s nothing you can do.”
Johnson has already admitted to taking the substance that caused the positive test (a league-approved amino acid, the 317-pounder says), so the “B sample” he and the league are awaiting likely won’t bring good news for him.
While Johnson seems resigned to the idea that he’ll have to serve a suspension, he vowed Wednesday to take legal action against the company that he claims provided him with a tainted amino acid.
“Going after them,” said the 26-year-old (via Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com). “I have people on it to get it done.”
Thanks to this incident, Johnson’s done taking supplements.
“Food and water. That’s all I’m going to put in my system,” stated Johnson. “Food and water. No supplements, no powders, nothing.”
Johnson, who previously served a suspension two years ago for using Adderrall without the league’s permission, isn’t in position to take a chance with anything that could potentially lead to another ban. If his current suspension is upheld and he’s hit with a third one down the line, it would bar him from football for two years. And there’s no guarantee a team would want him on the heels of a third suspension.
For the Eagles, having to go without Johnson for most of this year would be a significant blow. Since going fourth overall out of Oklahoma in the 2013 draft, Johnson has started in each of his 44 career appearances, and Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked him 22nd among 77 qualified tackles in overall performance last season. In January, Philadelphia gave Johnson a hefty extension that’s set to run through 2021. Barring an unforeseen development, Allen Barbre is likely to be the Eagles’ Week 1 starter at right tackle, as their depth chart shows.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Chiefs Release Mike Williams, Stevie Brown
The Chiefs have released wide receiver Mike Williams and safety Stevie Brown, according to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (Twitter links).
Kansas City was the third NFL employer for the 29-year-old Williams, who signed with the club in April. He entered the league with the Buccaneers as a fourth-rounder from Syracuse in 2010. After four years in Tampa Bay, which signed him to a long-term deal in 2013 before quickly moving on over off-the-field issues, Williams joined his hometown Bills for a short-lived run in 2014.
Williams, who sat out last season, has accrued 223 receptions and 26 touchdowns in 63 career games (52 starts). The 6-foot-2, 204-pounder racked up 60-plus catches and between 771 and 996 yards in each of his first three seasons, but he has since combined for just 30 receptions.
Brown, like Williams, was out of football in 2015 despite experiencing past success. A seventh-round pick of the Raiders in 2010, Brown posted a career year in 2012 as a member of the Giants, with whom he intercepted eight passes. However, he failed to register a pick in each of his other three seasons – one apiece with the Giants, Raiders and Colts. Brown signed with the Chiefs in early April, and he clearly didn’t do enough during his short stint with the club to merit a roster spot.
Despite the respective departures of Williams and Brown, the Chiefs still have no shortage of wideouts and safeties battling for jobs, as Roster Resource shows.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Latest On Panthers, Kawann Short
Panthers defensive tackle Kawann Short revealed Wednesday that he and the team aren’t progressing toward a contract extension, telling Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer, “No update as of right now. We’re still taking the time. We still have until the regular season starts, so hopefully we’ll have a decision by then.”
Short does seem optimistic about him and the Panthers reaching a deal, though, despite a report two weeks ago that stated talks between the two sides were “effectively dead.”
“I feel good about it. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. I still have to come out here and play no matter the situation,” said Short.
Whether by the regular season or sometime before free agency next winter, head coach Ron Rivera expects Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman to lock up Short.
“Somewhere along the line they’ll get together and they’ll figure it out,” said Rivera. “He’s too important a player for us, and KK likes where he is. We’ll see how it all unfolds.”
For Rivera’s hope to become a reality, the likelihood is that the Panthers will have to markedly increase their offer. As Jones notes, Carolina would like to re-up Short at roughly $15MM per year. However, considering what fellow standout defensive linemen Fletcher Cox (Eagles) and Muhammad Wilkerson (Jets) signed for earlier this summer, it might take in the $17MM annual range for a Short deal to come to fruition. Cox, Pro Football Focus’ 10th-ranked interior defensive lineman last season, landed a six-year, $103MM extension featuring upward of $55MM in guarantees in June. A month later, Wilkerson – No. 11 on PFF’s list – secured a five-year, $86MM pact with $53.5MM guaranteed for injury.
Short fared similarly to both Cox and Wilkerson in 2015, when he started all of NFC champion Carolina’s games and rated as PFF’s eighth-best interior D-lineman. Along the way, Short led the Panthers’ defense in sacks (11) and forced fumbles (three). That represented a breakout for Short, a 2013 second-round pick from Purdue who combined for nine starts, five sacks and two forced fumbles during his first two seasons.
In the event the Panthers and Short don’t find common ground by next winter, the club would have the option of retaining his rights via the franchise tag. The current cost to tag D-tackles is $13.651MM, which should increase. Nevertheless, something in that neighborhood would be a reasonable sum for Short if he continues serving as a dominant force in the middle of Carolina’s defense.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Joey Bosa’s Rep Attacks Chargers
First-round holdout Joey Bosa‘s agent, Brian Ayrault, has issued an acerbic response to the Chargers’ Wednesday statement concerning the lack of progress in contract talks between the two sides. Via Adam Schefter of ESPN:
“It is unfortunate the San Diego Chargers have decided to manipulate facts and negotiate in the media. The team surely is not strengthening its relationship with Joey Bosa by taking this stance and making their position public.
We have decided that we will not engage in public negotiations or discuss numbers and/or terms in this negotiation.
We will say, that it is ironic that the team now takes issue with the timing of Joey’s arrival, since the Chargers unilaterally decided to remain silent for the first 14 days of training camp instead of replying in a timely fashion to the proposal we made on the eve of training camp on July 28th.
At this point, all we can do is continue to fight for a fair contract on behalf of our client, as we do for all of our clients. The Chargers can focus on trying to sway public opinion, but our focus will remain on our client and securing a contract for him that is fair and consistent with his draft position.”
We learned earlier Wednesday that the Chargers pulled their latest offer to Bosa off the table after the third overall pick declined it. Chargers president John Spanos later went on to refer to Bosa’s holdout as “absolutely asinine” and implied that neither the defensive end nor his agent have been reasonable in negotiations.
The Bolts and Bosa have been at loggerheads for months over signing bonus distribution and offset language in the 21-year-old rookie’s prospective contract. According to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Chargers’ since-tabled proposal included an 85 percent payout of Bosa’s bonus in Year 1 of the deal. While Ayrault has budged from his insistence that Bosa should receive the entire bonus up front, per Michael Gehlken of the Union-Tribune, the Chargers’ increase from 61 percent to 85 percent wasn’t enough to lead to an agreement.
Photo courtesy of Pro Football Rumors’ Instagram account.
Offseason In Review: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Although the Buccaneers are in the midst of an eight-year playoff drought, they appear to be on the right track after taking significant steps forward in 2015. Not only did Tampa Bay enjoy a four-win improvement and better its point differential by 58 from 2014 to 2015, but it may have found a franchise quarterback in Jameis Winston. The No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft, Winston acquitted himself well as a rookie and could soon help lead the Buccaneers back to consistent contention for the first time since the early 2000s. In a perfect world for the Bucs, their return to the postseason will come in January 2017. However, given the club’s relatively modest offseason, it’s likely too soon to expect it to push for a playoff spot in the NFC.
Notable signings:
- Doug Martin, RB: Five years, $35.75MM. $15MM guaranteed. $5.75MM available via escalators.
- J.R. Sweezy, G: Five years, $32.5MM. $14.5MM guaranteed.
- Robert Ayers, DL: Three years, $19.5MM. $7.5MM. $1.65MM available via incentives.
- Brent Grimes, CB: Two years, $14MM. $7MM guaranteed.
- Chris Conte, S: One year, $3MM. $2.5MM guaranteed.
- Daryl Smith, LB: One year, $2.5MM. $2MM guaranteed.
- Bryan Anger, P: One year, $1.75MM. $750K guaranteed.
- Josh Robinson, CB: One year, $2MM. $500K guaranteed.
- Keith Tandy, S: Two years, $1.85MM. $250K guaranteed.
- Bradley McDougald, CB: One year, $2.553MM. Signed second-round RFA tender.
- Russell Shepard, WR: One year, $1.671MM. Signed original-round RFA tender.
- A.J. Francis, DT: One year, $600K.
General manager Jason Licht said before free agency that the Buccaneers would be “selective and strategic” in spending money and wouldn’t dole out contracts with the potential to damage their cap over the long haul. Licht was true to his word, as even the most sizable deals he awarded to veterans will be easy to escape in short order if they don’t work out.
In terms of both contract (five years, $35.75MM with $15MM in guarantees) and star power, running back Doug Martin was Tampa Bay’s most notable offseason signing. Given that the Buccaneers decided in May 2015 to decline Martin’s $5.621MM fifth-year option for 2017, they took a financial hit this past winter in committing nearly three times that much in guarantees to their 2012 first-round pick. A year ago, though, Martin was coming off back-to-back miserable seasons that made his sensational rookie campaign look like a fluke. He revisited his first-year form last season, however, finishing second in the NFL in both carries (288) and rushing yards (1,409) en route to first-team All-Pro status.
Considering Martin’s inconsistent track record, betting on the 27-year-old going forward looks like a gamble. In the event he’s unable to live up to his new pact, the Bucs will be able to bail on his contract after the 2017 season, thus mitigating the risk. Should Martin keep serving as a quality option, Tampa Bay will continue to have one of the league’s most well-rounded backfield duos in him and Charles Sims. Led by that tandem, the Buccaneers finished last season first in yards-per-carry average (4.8), fifth in overall rushing (2,162) and 11th in DVOA – up from 31st in 2014.
Among the players who will be responsible for blocking for Martin and Sims is left guard J.R. Sweezy, whom the Buccaneers inked to a five-year, $32.55MM pact with $14.5MM guaranteed in free agency. With a combined $2.5MM in dead money through 2020 left after this year, the Buccaneers will be able to move on from Sweezy without much difficulty if they have buyer’s remorse.
Sweezy spent the first four years of his career in Seattle, where he started in all 46 of his appearances from 2013-15, though Pro Football Focus ranked him just 66th among 81 qualified guards in overall performance last season. Nevertheless, the Bucs are counting on Sweezy as the long-term replacement for the retired Logan Mankins, whom PFF placed 15th in 2015. The Sweezy era in Tampa Bay hasn’t gotten off to an ideal start, though, as the 27-year-old will miss at least the first five weeks of the season with a back injury. In the meantime, the Buccaneers are likely to go with former tackle Kevin Pamphile, a third-year man with four starts on his resume.
On the defensive side, the Buccaneers went into free agency looking to augment a pass rush that finished last season tied for 14th in sacks (38) and 22nd in hurries (91). To help with those issues, they added defensive end Robert Ayers, a former Bronco and Giant who amassed 21 sacks and four forced fumbles in 39 games over the previous three seasons. The soon-to-be 31-year-old Ayers missed four games in 2015, but his production was highly impressive – he picked up a career-high 9.5 sacks and added 18 hurries, placing him between the likes of Chandler Jones (16) and Olivier Vernon (20).
Ayers, who also finished last year as PFF’s eighth-best edge rusher (110 qualifiers), is now on the Buccaneers’ books through 2018. But that doesn’t necessarily have to be the case – in the event of an appreciable decline in output, the Bucs will be able to move on from Ayers either after this season or after next without taking on any dead money. While Tampa Bay would rather see Ayers play well and remain in place for the duration of his three-year, $19.5MM deal, the fact that his contract has no cap ramifications past this season makes it a worthy gamble for the organization.
Joining Ayers in the Buccaneers’ front seven is 13th-year man Daryl Smith, who’s slated to start at strongside linebacker after dividing his first 12 seasons between Jacksonville and Baltimore. Notably, Smith played the first four years of his career under new Buccaneers defensive coordinator Mike Smith, who was the Jaguars’ defensive chief during those seasons. Daryl Smith enjoyed some fine seasons with the Jags, and he was particularly durable as a member of the Ravens. In Baltimore, Smith started in 48 straight games from 2013-15 and racked up 120-plus tackles in each of his three seasons with the club, while also combining for nine sacks and four forced fumbles. PFF was unimpressed with Smith’s play last year, though, as the outlet ranked him 71st among 97 qualified linebackers. The Ravens then cut Smith in early March, but based on his ability to stay on the field and produce, the Bucs made out well in signing the 34-year-old for a fairly meager sum of $2.5MM.
“Not only is he a really good football player, but once you get to know Daryl and the type of guy he is, I think Daryl will be a really good sounding board,” new head coach Dirk Koetter told Scott Reynolds of Pewter Report. “His experience and the players that he’s played with in his career, the things that he’s accomplished in his career, will do nothing but help Lavonte [David] and Kwon [Alexander] advance as players.”
Thanks largely to a weak secondary, Tampa Bay allowed the fourth-most touchdown tosses (31) and the second-highest passer rating (101.2) in the league last season. With that in mind, the club addressed the area over the winter by signing outside help (Brent Grimes and Josh Robinson) and re-upping Chris Conte, Bradley McDougald and Keith Tandy to new deals.
Grimes, a cornerback, is clearly the most accomplished member of the group, having started in 90 of 106 appearances with two teams – the Falcons and Dolphins – and totaling 26 interceptions since entering the league in 2007. Like Daryl Smith, Grimes also worked under Mike Smith previously. Grimes played in Atlanta from 2007-12, and Smith was the Falcons’ head coach in five of those six seasons. The rapport they established with the Falcons helped lead to a reunion in Tampa Bay.
“It’s a big deal for me, because I like the system,’’ Grimes told Roy Cummings of the Tampa Bay Times in March. “And one thing I know about Mike Smith is, he’s a great coach as far as everybody on the field knowing where they need to be and knowing what their assignment is, and he pays great attention to detail.”
After leaving Atlanta, Grimes was an impressive producer in Miami, where he started in all 47 appearances over the previous three seasons and picked off either four or five passes in each of those years (though he did yield a 103.2 passer rating against in 2015). Grimes is now in his age-33 season, so he’s unlikely to resemble a shutdown corner at this juncture. Still, as is the case with their other established veteran signings, the Bucs will have the option of waving goodbye to Grimes with no real harm done at season’s end. Regardless of whether Grimes sees his two-year deal with the Buccaneers through, the organization will hope his outspoken wife, Miko, is capable of avoiding controversy. She already made headlines for the wrong reasons last month, which wasn’t anything new.
While neither Robinson nor Tandy is expected to play a huge role at corner in Tampa Bay’s secondary this year, both Conte and McDougald have realistic chances to occupy the starting safety spots. Conte performed well in 2015, his first season with the Buccaneers, starting 13 of 14 appearances and totaling 79 tackles, three interceptions and two forced fumbles. The ex-Bear’s output also netted him a solid 32nd-place ranking among 88 qualifying safeties at PFF, and the Bucs elected to bring him back on a one-year deal. The team made the same decision with McDougald, whom it signed to a second-round tender for 2016. McDougald led the team’s defensive backs in snap percentage last season (81.2 percent), and he piled up 87 tackles and two interceptions along the way, but the Bucs haven’t been happy with his work this summer. However, with only flawed options behind McDougald, he’s a good bet to open the season as the club’s No. 1 free safety.
