Buccaneers Re-Sign OL Evan Smith
The Buccaneers have agreed to re-sign offensive lineman Evan Smith, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Tampa Bay has announced the transaction as a two-year deal.
Smith, who formerly went by the name Evan Dietrich-Smith, has started a whopping 111 games during his eight-year NFL career, but he’s coming back to Tampa Bay as a clear reserve. The Bucs made Ryan Jensen the NFL’s highest-paid center last week, and will now presumably move Ali Marpet to guard. With J.R. Sweezy holding down the club’s other guard spot, Smith will now act as an overqualified backup.
Given that he can play all three interior line positions, Smith could certainly see action during the upcoming season (especially given that Sweezy dealt with serious injuries as recently as 2016). Last year, the 31-year-old Smith made six starts and played 60% of Tampa Bay’s offensive snaps, grading as the league’s No. 29 guard among 77 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus.
The interior offensive line market has thinned rapidly this week, as Smith joins Matt Slauson, D.J. Fluker, Jack Mewhort, Jonathan Cooper, Tom Compton, Kevin Pamphile, and Jeremiah Sirles as guard/centers who have landed new deals.
13 Teams Watched Johnny Manziel At USD Pro Day
Former NFL quarterback Johnny Manziel threw passes at Thursday’s University of San Diego pro day, and 14 NFL clubs were on hand to watch him perform, reports Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
The Bears, Browns, Chargers, Giants, Chiefs, Jets, Patriots, Raiders, Titans, Lions, Jaguars, Panthers and Buccaneers, were all present at today’s workout, per Williams. Of course, those clubs weren’t necessarily in town just to see Manziel, as USD had its own prospects on the field.
Manziel was thought to be interested in working out a deal to play in the Canadian Football League during the 2018 campaign, and was in fact offered a contract by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in January. However, Manziel and his team reportedly weren’t pleased with the terms of the pact, and he’s now scheduled to play in the upcoming Spring League. The former first-round pick is reportedly amenable to a minimum salary or a practice squad slot.
Manziel is still only 25 years old, but he hasn’t played in the NFL since the 2015 campaign. In eight career starts for the Browns, the former Heisman trophy winner completed 57% of his passes for 1,675 yards, seven touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
Giants Trade Jason Pierre-Paul To Bucs
The Giants are trading defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul and a 2018 fourth-round pick to the Buccaneers, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The Giants will receive a 2018 third-round pick and a fourth-round pick in the deal. 
The move comes as a total surprise as we have not heard any rumblings of JPP not being in the Giants’ plans for the coming season. But, there’s a new regime in New York headed by GM Dave Gettleman and coach Pat Shurmur and they do not view him in the same light as the last administration. It’s likely that they do not view Pierre-Paul as a fit for defensive coordinator James Bettcher‘s 3-4 heavy scheme.
The Giants inked JPP to a four-year, $62MM deal with $40MM guaranteed roughly one year ago today. He responded by turning in his first complete season since 2014 and tallying 8.5 sacks with 68 total tackles. The advanced metrics indicated that it was only a so-so season for him and Gettleman’s review of the game tape conferred.
Still, Pierre-Paul is undeniably a high-impact player and he’ll now join a revamped and upgraded Bucs defensive line. This year, the Buccaneers signed Vinny Curry to hold down one defensive end spot and added Beau Allen at defensive tackle. Pierre-Paul now joins the group and those three new faces plus Gerald McCoy will give the Bucs one of the most talented defensive lines in the entire NFL. Tampa Bay also has former second-round pick Noah Spence and former Bears DE Mitch Unrein in support.
The Buccaneers tried to trade for Rams edge rusher Robert Quinn, but ultimately lost out to another Florida team. Less than three weeks later, they managed to land a different superstar defensive end.
The deal figures to have major implications for the Giants’ offseason plans. The G-Men now have additional cap room to work with in the second wave of free agency and their draft plans could radically shift. It’s possible that the Giants will consider Bradley Chubb at No. 2 overall rather than selecting Eli Manning‘s successor. They could also trade down if they believe they can land a pass rusher plus a quality QB later on.
The Giants will now own the fifth pick in the third round (No. 69 overall) in addition to that round’s second pick (No. 65). In the fourth round, the Bucs move up to No. 102 overall while parting with the No. 108 selection.
[RELATED: Buccaneers Depth Chart]
Broncos Sign DT Clinton McDonald
The Broncos have signed former Buccaneers defensive tackle Clinton McDonald, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. It’s a two-year deal worth $7MM, according to Mike Klis of 9News (on Twitter). McDonald has spent the past four seasons as a rotational lineman with Tampa Bay. 
McDonald met with the Raiders late last week, but left Oakland without a deal. Instead, he’ll be joining up with their divisional rivals.
McDonald, 31 split time with Chris Baker in 2017 and recorded five sacks with 18 tackles. The sack total is impressive, though the advanced analytics at Pro Football Focus were not high on him.
The Broncos will start Domata Peko in the middle with Zach Kerr and Kyle Peko in support. DeShawn Williams, who signed a futures deal with the club in January, will fight to make the final cut, but his path to the 53-man roster just got a lot tougher.
Vinny Curry Had Interest From Seven Teams
- Defensive lineman Vinny Curry confirmed he had the chance to stick with the Eagles (almost assuredly at a reduced rate), but he ultimately secured interest from as many as seven teams before signing with the Buccaneers, according to SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link). Curry joined fellow former Philadelphia defender Beau Allen in inking three-year deals with Tampa Bay, and their respective signings led the Bucs to cut ties with veteran defensive end Robert Ayers. The Eagles reportedly attempted both to trade Curry or lower his 2018 salary before releasing him, as his presence was made superfluous by Philadelphia’s acquisition of Michael Bennett.
Contract Details: A. Smith, Pugh, Curry, ASJ
Let’s take a look at the details of a few recently signed NFL contracts:
AFC
- Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE (Jaguars): Two years, $10MM. $4MM guaranteed. $3.21MM signing bonus. $500K 2019 option bonus. $500K annually available via catch, playoff, and touchdown incentives (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Adrian Clayborn, DE (Patriots): Two years, $10MM. $5.5MM guaranteed. $4MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Ben Volin of the Boston Globe).
- Albert Wilson, WR (Dolphins): Three years, $24MMM. $14.45MM guaranteed. $4.5MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Marcus Gilchrist, S (Raiders): One year, $4MM. $3.85MM guaranteed. $1.85MM signing bonus. $1MM available via playtime, interceptions, and Pro Bowl incentives (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Tramaine Brock, CB (Broncos): One year, $3MM. Fully guaranteed. $1MM signing bonus. $1MM available via playtime incentives (Twitter link via Mike Klis of 9News).
- Seantrel Henderson, T (Texans): One year, $4MM. $1MM guaranteed. $500K signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
NFC
- Alex Smith, QB (Redskins): Four years, $94MM. $55MM guaranteed. $27MM signing bonus (Twitter links via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com and Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com).
- Justin Pugh, OL (Cardinals): Five years, $45.025MM. $15.75MM guaranteed. $10MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle).
- Vinny Curry, DE (Buccaneers): Three years, $23MM. $6.5MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times).
- Zach Brown, LB (Redskins): Three years, $21MM. $10MM guaranteed. $4.5MM signing bonus. $1MM annually available in Pro Bowl, All-Pro incentives (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Ed Dickson, TE (Seahawks): Three years, $10.7MM. $3.6MM guaranteed. $2.6MM signing bonus. $1.1MM annually available via catch, yards, and Pro Bowl incentive (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Aaron Lynch, LB/DE (Bears): One year, $4MM. $1.25MM guaranteed. $1MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
Cardinals Interested In CB Robert McClain
The Cardinals are among the teams interested in free agent cornerback Robert McClain, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Meanwhile, the incumbent Buccaneers are also hoping to re-sign him. 
[RELATED: Cardinals’ Depth Chart]
McClain, 30 in July, saw time both on the outside and in the slot for Tampa Bay in 2017. He amassed 46 tackles, five passes defensed, three interceptions, and one touchdown – a 47-yard pick six against Mike Glennon during his short stint as the Bears’ starting quarterback.
McClain’s best year came with the Falcons in 2012, though he also had a respectable year with Carolina in 2013 and looked solid last year with the Bucs. He could help to fortify the Cardinals depth chart as cornerbacks Tyvon Branch, Tramon Williams, and Justin Bethel remain in free agency limbo. Of course, the Cardinals are also without Tyrann Mathieu, who signed with the Texans after being released in a cap-driven move.
How Jets-Colts Trade Could Impact Bucs
- The Colts-Jets swap, combined with the Buccaneers‘ signing of Ryan Jensen, could result in a top-five prospect falling to Tampa Bay, which holds the No. 7 overall pick, as Jenna Laine of ESPN.com writes. Laine examines a few scenarios that could lead to a player like NC State’s Bradley Chubb or Penn State’s Saquon Barkley dropping into the Bucs’ laps.
Buccaneers To Sign Vinny Curry
The Buccaneers are moving fast. Minutes after their release of Robert Ayers, the team is set to sign Vinny Curry.
Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports the Bucs are adding Curry, whom the Eagles released late this week, on a three-year deal worth $27MM with $11.5MM guaranteed.
Curry made 16 starts last season for the Super Bowl champions, the first 16 of his career, and played a key role in Philadelphia’s first Super Bowl title run. The Bucs have now added two pieces from Philly’s defensive front, with Curry joining Beau Allen. They’ve also added Mitch Unrein in what’s been a major effort to overhaul the Gerald McCoy-centered unit.
Set to turn 30 in June, Curry will land on his feet. The Eagles were slated to pay him $9MM this season as part of the previous extension he signed in 2016. Now, he’ll get that from the Bucs per year.
Curry ranked 21st among Pro Football Focus’ edge defender grades last season, 11 spots behind Ayers, and will be expected to provide an outside pass rush to complement McCoy’s nearly unparalleled interior-pursuit abilities. Curry’s best season (2014, nine sacks) came in a 3-4 defense as a rotational player who played on just 32 percent of Philly’s snaps, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com notes (on Twitter). He will likely be utilized more as a pure pass rusher since the Bucs do not have the edge-rushing depth the 2017 Eagles did.
So, Michael Bennett replaced Curry and now Curry will take over for Ayers. It figures to be a matter of time before Ayers lands elsewhere.
[RELATED: Buccaneers Depth Chart]
Buccaneers Release Robert Ayers
Robert Ayers will not see a third season with the Buccaneers. The team has made the decision to release him, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
The Bucs signed Ayers during the 2016 free agency period. He was due to make $6MM this season, but Tampa Bay won’t be charged with any dead money for cutting bait on a three-year agreement after two seasons.
Despite Ayers having completed his age-32 season, he remained a high-end producer in Tampa. Pro Football Focus graded the defensive end as the No. 10 edge defender in the league last season. He produced both as a pass rusher and a run defender, but Tampa Bay will turn to a younger player to replace him. Vinny Curry will join the Bucs, following Beau Allen, Will Clarke and Mitch Unrein in what’s looking like a near-total revamp around Gerald McCoy.
A former Giants and Broncos cog with experience as an end in 3-4 and 4-3 defenses, Ayers figures to generate interest on the open market. Although, he wasn’t especially durable with the Bucs, playing in just 10 games in each of his two seasons. His sack total plummeted from 9.5 with the 2015 Giants to six with the ’16 Bucs to 2.5 last season.
Ayers will be set for a 10th NFL season if he signs elsewhere.