Minor NFL Transactions: 8/20/17
Today’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived from IR: WR Kenny Bell, LB Lamar Louis
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: TE Rory Anderson, S Adrian McDonald
- Waived: P/K Austin Rehkow
- Waived/injured: TE Jason Croom
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: QB Mitch Leidner
- Waived: LB Darnell Sankey
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: T Tyrus Thompson (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Claimed: T Marquis Lucas
Offseason In Review: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Last year’s Buccaneers didn’t break the club’s decade-long streak of sitting at home during the postseason, but they did post their best record since 2010. Under first-year head coach Dirk Koetter, quarterback Jameis Winston showed marked improvement, while Tampa Bay’s defense also posted better results under new coordinator Mike Smith. With an eye towards earning a playoff berth for first time since the Jon Gruden era, the Buccaneers entered the offseason with clear goals in mind.
Notable signings:
- DeSean Jackson, WR: Three years, $33.5MM. $20MM guaranteed.
- William Gholston, DE: Four years, $27.5MM. $7MM guaranteed. $9MM available via incentives.
- Chris Baker, DT: Three years, $15.75MM. $6MM guaranteed.
- J.J. Wilcox, S: Two years, $6.5MM. $3.125MM guaranteed.
- Josh Robinson, CB: Two years, $5MM. $3MM guaranteed.
- Chris Conte, S: Two years, $5MM. $2.5MM guaranteed.
- Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB: One year, $3MM. $1.25MM guaranteed. $2MM available via incentives.
- Joe Hawley, OL: Two years, $6MM. $1MM guaranteed.
- Nick Folk, K: One year, $1.75MM. $750K guaranteed.
- Jacquizz Rodgers, RB: Two years, $3.3MM. $600K guaranteed.
- Sealver Siliga, DT: One year, $1.1MM. $200K guaranteed.
- Garrison Sanborn, LS: One year, minimum salary benefit. $50K guaranteed.
- Ryan Griffin, QB: One year, $1.797MM. Signed original round RFA tender.
- Jacquies Smith, DE: One year, $1.797MM. Signed original round RFA tender.
- Robert McClain, CB: One year, minimum salary benefit.
- Justin Trattou, DE: One year, minimum salary benefit.
- Marqueston Huff, S: One year, $690K.
- Tavaris Barnes, DE: One year, $540K.
While the Buccaneers passing offense ranked a respectable 12th in DVOA last season, the unit didn’t post many explosive plays, as Tampa Bay finished 24th in 20+ yard receptions and dead last in 40+ yard catches. Mike Evans, Adam Humphries, and Cameron Brate formed the foundation of a solid passing game, but a new dimension was clearly needed. Enter DeSean Jackson, who lead the league in yards per reception in 2016, the third time he’s done so in his nine-year career. Among receivers with at least 40 receptions last season, Jackson ranked third with 12.82 air yards per catch, meaning he’s able to get open down the field and not simply rely on yards after the catch. He also accounted for 145 yards and four first downs by drawing pass interference penalties, an underrated facet of his game. Although he’s on the wrong side of 30, Jackson is exactly what the Buccaneers offense needs, and he should be worth of every penny of a contract that makes him the ninth-highest-paid wideout in the NFL.
Joining Jackson as an offensive starter (at least for the first three games of the season) will be running back Jacquizz Rodgers, who earned the first multi-year contract of his career after averaging 4.3 yards per carry on 129 rushes a season ago. Rodgers, 27, touched the ball more than he had in any prior season, and was a workhorse for Tampa Bay in Weeks 5-7, rushing the ball 75 times during that span. He’ll be the Buccaneers’ lead back to begin the campaign while Doug Martin finishes a suspension, and Rodgers could keep the starting job for even longer, as general manager Jason Licht recently indicated Martin won’t be handed a role when he returns.
While the Bucs are comfortable rolling with Rodgers until Martin comes back, they surely won’t feel the same way if they’re forced to use new backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick for any extended period of time. That being said, Fitzpatrick isn’t a disaster as a reserve option, especially at a price of only $3MM. Yes, Fitzpatrick posted the worst statistics of any starting quarterback not named Matt Barkley or Jared Goff in 2016, but he’s not being asked to start in Tampa Bay. If Jameis Winston is sidelined next year, Fitzpatrick should at least be able to keep the club’s offense afloat.
On defense, the Buccaneers acted quickly to re-sign defensive end William Gholston, who was said to be a priority for the team in free agency. At first glance, Gholston’s five-year contract appears to be a massive overpay, as his $5.5MM annual salary is exorbitant for a run-stuffer who ranked as a bottom-20 edge defender in 2016, per Pro Football Focus. But because Tampa Bay rarely employs signing bonuses, Gholston’s deal is essentially a one-year pact. All of his $7MM guarantee comes in 2017, and the Buccaneers could cut ties after the season without any dead money incurring on their cap. If Tampa is able to land a top-notch pass rusher in next year’s draft, I’d expect Gholston to be on the chopping block.
New defensive tackle Chris Baker will be lining up next to Gholston after the Bucs lured him away from the nation’s capital with a three-year agreement, and he should be able to help out a Tampa Bay run defense that took a major step backward under first-year defensive coordinator Mike Smith. While the Buccaneers’ pass defense improved from 26th in DVOA to sixth, the club’s prowess against the run slipped from ninth in DVOA to 26th, while Tampa’s defensive line ranked 24th in adjusted line yards. Baker is a stud in the run game, but he’s also adept at getting after opposing quarterbacks, as he ranked 11th among defensive tackles with 16 hurries last season.
Chris Conte keeps getting chances despite grading as one of the least capable safeties in the league for the duration of his career. Last season, PFF ranked Conte as the second-worst safety in the NFL, but the Buccaneers still re-signed him to a two-year pact. Thankfully, Tampa Bay isn’t asking Conte to play a full complement of snaps in 2017, as they’ve signed former Cowboy J.J. Wilcox and drafted Justin Evans in the second round. Wilcox, 26, only played half of Dallas’ defensive snaps a season ago, but had significant starting experience in 2014-15. Josh Robinson is back to help out in the secondary, as well, but most of his time will be spent as a gunner on special teams.
Tampa Bay signed kicker Nick Folk to hedge against Roberto Aguayo‘s struggles, and the move now seems prescient following Aguayo’ release. Although Tampa handed Folk a $750K guarantee, the club was only nominally on the hook for that money — had Folk been cut, he likely would’ve been picked up by another team, and the offset language in his deal would have freed the Bucs from his commitment. The Jets, Folk’s former employer, ranked dead last in special teams DVOA last season, but that wasn’t Folk’s fault, as he converted 87.1% of his kicks (including 50% from 50+ yards) and gave New York 0.3 points of field position. He didn’t do well on kickoffs, however, as he ranked just 23rd among kickers with 39 touchbacks.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/19/17
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived: OL Marquis Lucas
Cincinnati Bengals
- Waived from IR: S Cedric Thompson
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: G Terran Vaughn
- Waived/injured: LB Deiontrez Mount
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: DB Carlos Davis
- Waived: WR C.J. Germany, WR Justin Thomas
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: CB Mariel Cooper
- Waived: FB Quayvon Hicks
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DB Darrius Sims
- Waived/injured DE Kourtnei Brown
Buccaneers Sign CB Vernon Harris, OT Austin Albrecht
The Buccaneers have made a series of roster moves this morning. According to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter), the team has signed cornerback Vernon Harris and offensive tackle Austin Albrecht. To make room on the roster, the team has waived-injured a pair of undrafted rookies, offensive tackle Cole Gardner and cornerback Maurice Fleming (via Auman on Twitter).
Vernon has the most “experience” among the four, although he’s yet to appear in an NFL game. The 2016 undrafted free agent out of Dartmouth joined the Chiefs last offseason, but he ultimately spent the entire season on the injured reserve. The Ft. Lauderdale, Florida native will have an uphill battle to make the Tampa Bay roster, as he’ll have to compete with Josh Robinson, Robert McClain, Javien Elliott, and Cody Riggs for a reserve role.
Albrecht went undrafted in this past year’s draft after a standout career at Utah State. After initially serving in a backup role, he proceeded to make 25 straight starts to end his collegiate career. The 6-5, 300-pound lineman earned an Honorable Mention spot on the All-Mountain West team during his junior and senior season.
Both Gardner and Fleming joined the Buccaneers in early May. Following three seasons at Iowa, Fleming played at West Virginia during his senior year, compiling 43 tackles and one interception. Meanwhile, Gardner played three seasons at Eastern Michigan, serving mostly as an offensive lineman. He did appear in several games at tight end, compiling 10 receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown during his college career.
Demar Dotson Out With Groin Injury
- Demar Dotson will undergo an MRI on his injured groin Saturday, and Dirk Koetter said (via Jenna Laine of ESPN.com) Caleb Benenoch and Kevin Pamphile would be the next men up. Both are fifth-round picks, Pamphile in 2014, Benenoch in ’16. Koetter added he’s more content with the Bucs’ guard depth than he is at tackle presently.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/13/17
Today’s minor moves:
Chicago Bears
- Placed on injured reserve: WR Rueben Randle
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed off waivers: DL Shaneil Jenkins
- Waived/injured: TE Beau Sandland
Houston Texans
- Signed: WR Germone Hopper
Los Angeles Chargers
- Waived: S Adrian McDonald
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: CB Dejaun Butler, WR Rashad Lawrence, CB Robenson Therezie, K Patrick Murray
New York Jets
- Signed: CB Robenson Therezie
- Waived: FB Algernon Brown
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: WR Rashard Davis
- Waived: CB Mitchell White
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: OL Richard Levy
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR Rodney Smith (Twitter link via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times)
- Waived: DL Shaneil Jenkins
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: K Zach Hocker
Washington Redskins
- Signed: OL Kendall Pace, LB Ron Thompson Jr.
- Waived: S Tim Scott
- Waived/injured: WR Kendal Thompson
Bucs Notes: Adjei-Barimah, Bond, Fitzpatrick, Folk
In other bad news for the Bucs, linebacker Devante Bond, who was expected to open the season as the starting strongside linebacker, has a sprained PCL in his right knee, per Jenna Laine of ESPN.com. Bond could still be ready for Week 1, but it may be four to six weeks before he plays again. Meanwhile, Laine adds that QB Ryan Griffin has a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder that will take a few weeks to heal. The team is not expected to sign another quarterback, which means that Ryan Fitzpatrick will likely win the backup job.
- Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com tweets that the Buccaneers are expected to bring in another kicker in the wake of Roberto Aguayo‘s dismissal, but the new signing will be used for camp/preseason reps. That suggests that Nick Folk, and not a new acquisition, will be the team’s starting kicker.
Buccaneers nickel corner Jude Adjei-Barimah will have surgery to repair the patellar fracture in his right knee and will be placed on IR, as Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. When we first learned of the injury, we heard that it could sideline Adjei-Barimah for roughly four months, meaning he would miss most of the 2017 campaign. Stroud’s report suggests that the 25-year-old DB will in fact miss the entire season.
Buccaneers Waive Roberto Aguayo
It looks like the Buccaneers’ kicking competition has already been decided. Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports (via Twitter) that the team has waived kicker Roberto Aguayo. Assuming he isn’t claimed, the organization will owe the player $428K (via ESPN’s Field Yates on Twitter).
The Buccaneers (in)famously traded up in the second-round of the 2016 draft to select the Florida State product, surrendering a third- and fourth-rounder to make the pick. Aguayo struggled mightily during his rookie campaign, connecting on a league-worst 71-percent of his field goals.
Those struggles continued during the team’s first preseason game on Friday night. Aguayo did connect on one field goal, but he also missed a 47-yard attempt and an extra point. After the game, coach Dirk Koetter sounded like his patience was wearing thin.
“You know, I keep saying it, I can’t say it anymore. If you’re a kicker, you’ve got to make your kicks,” Koetter said (via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com).
Aguayo is only 23-years-old, so there’s still a chance that he could develop into a competent kicker. As NFL.com’s Albert Breer pointed out (via Twitter), former second-rounder Mike Nugent struggled mightily before ultimately finding his own in Cincinnati.
As Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times cleverly noted on Twitter, the Buccaneers are now all but assuring that they’ll have a new primary kicker for the sixth straight season. The team will be turning to veteran Nick Folk, who joined the organization back in March. The veteran spent the past seven years with the Jets, and he set a franchise record with a 81.3 career field goal percentage (he also ranks second in franchise history in total points).
While the 32-year-old struggled earlier in his career, he’s been rather consistent over the past few years, connecting on at least 80-percent of his field goals over the past four seasons. Folk is also extremely reliable on extra point attempts, as the veteran has only missed a pair of his 337 career attempts.
Bucs’ Jude Adjei-Barimah Suffers Injury
Buccaneers cornerback Jude Adjei-Barimah has suffered a patellar fracture in his right knee, a league source tells Jenna Laine of ESPN.com. The injury could sideline him for roughly four months, a timetable that would keep him out of action for most of the season. 
[RELATED: Buccaneers Sign Marqueston Huff]
This isn’t Adjei-Barimah’s first rodeo when it comes to the injury. He also suffered a patellar fracture in the same knee late last season and he spent a chunk of this offseason rehabbing from it.
Adjei-Barimah was hoping to reprise his role as the team’s starting nickel cornerback in 2017. The Bucs will now have to look elsewhere for help at the increasingly important position.
The 25-year-old appeared in ten games for the Bucs last season, missing six due to a combination of injury and suspension. He finished out with 22 tackles and two sacks.
Although he’s more of a safety and a special teams player, the recent signing of Marqueston Huff may help the Bucs’ overall defensive back depth while Adjei-Barimah is out.
Buccaneers, Thomas Sperbeck Reach Injury Settlement
- The Buccaneers reached an injury settlement with receiver Thomas Sperbeck, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). The club waived the undrafted rookie from Boise State after he suffered a hamstring strain last weekend.


