Bucs Engaging With Ryan Fitzpatrick
- While the Buccaneers have had conversations with free agent backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, they aren’t nearing a new deal, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter links). Fitzpatrick, 35, managed a 2-1 record in relief of starter Jameis Winston last season while completing 59% of his passes for six touchdowns and three interceptions. He earned $3MM for his year of work in Tampa Bay.
Salary Cap Rollover For All 32 NFL Teams
This week, the NFLPA updated its salary cap report to include the rollover amounts for all 32 teams in the NFL. The Browns, as expected, lead the league in $58.9MM in cap space rolled over from the previous season. Here is the full rundown of each team’s rollover amounts:
After the Browns, the 49ers ($56MM), Titans ($30.3MM), Jaguars ($27.8MM), and Jets ($17.3MM) boast the highest rollover amounts in the league. The Dolphins ($69K), Saints ($287K), Giants ($365K), Eagles ($514K), and the Seahawks ($547K) have the least amount of rollover. In total, teams carried over nearly $340MM from last season, good for an average of $10.6MM per club.
Bucs' T.J. Ward To Draw FA Interest?
- Pending Buccaneers free agent T.J. Ward is a player to watch in free agency, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Ward started only five of his 12 games for the Bucs last year and graded out as the No. 58 ranked safety in the NFL per Pro Football Focus. That’s a big dropoff from his three straight Pro Bowls from 2013-2015 and his January arrest doesn’t help matters either. Still, in a shallow safety pool, Rapoport expects Ward to draw interest. Whether that comes to fruition or not, it’s not expected that Ward will be back with the Bucs.
Bucs To Decline C Joe Hawley’s Option
The Buccaneers will decline their $2.5MM option for 2018 on center Joe Hawley, a source tells NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). They haven’t closed the door on bringing him back, but a veteran OL on the market. 
Hawley was the Bucs’ primary starter in the middle in 2015 and 2016. Last offseason, the team shifted Ali Marpet from right guard to center, pushing Hawley to a reserve role. He saw an uptick in playing time when Marpet hit the injured reserve list in November, but he made only four appearances with two starts on the year. For what it’s worth, the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus did not look kindly on his small sample of 203 snaps.
It makes sense for the Bucs to explore re-signing Hawley on a cheaper deal, but he may look for a better situation in March before agreeing to anything. With 54 career starts to his credit, the 29-year-old probably feels deserving of more playing time than the Bucs are looking to give him.
Fellow Buccaneers interior lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith is also due for free agency in March, so there might not be room for both players in 2018.
Mike Glennon Back On Bucs' Radar?
- A Buccaneers/Mike Glennon reunion will likely be on the Tampa Bay brass’ radar, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times writes. The Bears are expected to cut Glennon, whom Mitch Trubisky quickly supplanted in Chicago’s starting lineup, and Stroud notes the Bucs will be watching carefully to see if their former backup will wind up in need of a job. Glennon served as Jameis Winston‘s backup in 2015 and ’16, and with a possible suspension for Winston looming because of an alleged groping of an Uber driver, Stroud notes Tampa Bay’s backup could play a key role in the 2018 season. The Bucs were ready to pay Glennon like a top-market backup at $8MM per year, but the Bears’ offer easily won out last March.
NFL Awards Compensatory Picks To 15 Teams
The NFL has awarded 15 compensatory draft picks to teams, as directed by the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The compensatory pick system provides additional picks to teams who lose more/better qualifying free agents in the previous year than gained.
This year, the 32 comp picks were dispersed to 15 different teams. Here is the complete rundown:
Round 3
- No. 97 overall – Cardinals
- No. 98 overall – Texans
- No. 99 overall – Broncos
- No. 100 overall – Bengals
Round 4
- No. 133 overall – Packers
- No. 134 overall – Cardinals
- No. 135 overall – Giants
- No. 136 overall – Patriots
- No. 137 overall – Cowboys
Round 5
- No. 170 overall – Bengals
- No. 171 overall – Cowboys
- No. 172 overall – Packers
- No. 173 overall – Cowboys
- No. 174 overall – Packers
Round 6
- No. 207 overall – Packers
- No. 208 overall – Cowboys
- No. 209 overall – Chiefs
- No. 210 overall – Raiders
- No. 211 overall – Texans
- No. 212 overall – Raiders
- No. 213 overall – Vikings
- No. 214 overall – Texans
- No. 215 overall – Ravens
- No. 216 overall – Raiders
- No. 217 overall – Raiders
- No. 218 overall – Vikings
Round 7
- No. 251 overall – Chargers
- No. 252 overall – Bengals
- No. 253 overall – Bengals
- No. 254 overall – Cardinals
- No. 255 overall – Buccaneers
- No. 256 overall – Falcons
The Bengals, Cowboys, Packers and Raiders lead the way in comp picks this year with four. The Cardinals and Texans each snagged three, the Vikings own two, and the Falcons, Ravens, Broncos, Chiefs, Chargers, Patriots, Giants, and Buccaneers each have one.
Buccaneers Won’t Tender Adarius Glanton, Jude Adjei-Barimah
The Buccaneers will not tender offers to a pair of restricted free agents — linebacker Adarius Glanton and cornerback Jude Adjei-Barimah — according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter links). As such, both players will become unrestricted free agents on the 2018 league year begins on March 14.
Glanton had appeared in 35 games for the Buccaneers over the past three seasons, and started four contests in 2017. During that time, Glanton managed 19 tackles and one sack while playing nearly as many snaps on special teams (213) as he did on defense (284). Pro Football Focus was down on Glanton’s play, assigning him poor grades of 47.4 in run defense and 48.6 in pass coverage. Now entering his age-28 season, Glanton spent the final two weeks of 2017 on injured reserve after suffering a broken leg.
Barimah, 25, missed the entire 2017 campaign with a knee injury but has since been medically cleared. The former undrafted free agent appeared in 23 games with Tampa Bay from 2015-16 and averaged 53% playtime on defense. Adjei-Barimiah was also a key contributor on special teams, as he played on roughly a third of the Buccaneers’ ST snaps during those two seasons.
Per Over the Cap, an original rounder tender — which wouldn’t have netted Tampa Bay any compensation had Adjei-Barimah or Glanton left via an offer sheet from another club — is projected to be worth $1.908MM.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/22/18
Today’s minor moves:
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: T Michael Dunn
New York Giants
- Waived: LB Deontae Skinner
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: RB Dalton Crossan
Buccaneers Release K Nick Folk
Nick Folk is officially ticketed for free agency. On Thursday, the Buccaneers announced that they have released the kicker. 
The move doesn’t mean a whole lot for Folk since his one-year, $1.75MM deal was already set to expire this offseason. However, it is an indication that the team will be moving forward with a new place kicker.
Earlier this week, Folk received medical clearance from doctors, allowing him to get back on the practice field. If Folk can demonstrate that he is healthy, he figures to receive attention from teams in search of a veteran leg. In 2016, Folk nailed 27 of 31 field goal attempts and connected on 24 of 26 extra points. He was released by the Jets for cap reasons, which ultimately paved the way for him to join up with the Bucs. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned in Tampa Bay.
Before an undisclosed injury ended his season in October, Folk converted just six-of-eleven field goal attempts and seven-of-nine extra points. In his final game of the 2017 campaign, the 33-year-old missed three field goals as the Patriots went on to win by five points.
Latest On DeSean Jackson
An investigation surrounding a Christmas Eve crash that involved a car owned by Buccaneers wide receiver DeSean Jackson is now inactive, the Tampa (Fla.) police told Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times on Thursday (Twitter link). Jackson claimed a friend was driving a Chevy Silverado registered to him when it struck a tree and was abandoned near a mall in Tampa.
Police also found two .38 caliber hollow-point bullets and 6.3 grams of marijuana in the abandoned car. Auman also noted that the mall in which the car struck a tree does not plan to prosecute the case (Twitter link).
Jackson is set to enter the second season of a three-year, $33.5MM contract he signed with the Bucs last offseason. Jackson was not with the team at the time of the accident as he was inactive for their Week 16 matchup against the Panthers due to an ankle injury. He appeared in 14 games last year, catching 50 passes for 568 yards and three touchdown catches.
In a separate piece, Auman identified the person driving Jackson’s car as Therrian Fontenot, a former teammate from his days with the Eagles. Fontenot also spent six months in jail in 2015 after burglarizing the home of former NFL wide receiver Bernard Berrian. Jackson helped in identifying Fontenot as the driver of the car but did not assist the police in locating him, per Auman. Fontenot and Jackson were seen together in an Instagram post from Fontenot at Raymond James Stadium on Dec. 10.
Even if there are no legal consequences for Jackson, it’s still possible that he could face league discipline if the NFL finds any wrongdoing.