Anquan Boldin Looking To Play In Florida?
Anquan Boldin says that he wants to continue playing in 2017, but he won’t necessarily accept any gig that comes his way. The wide receiver would like to play near his home in Florida, people close to him tell Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. 
Unfortunately for Boldin, all three Florida teams seem pretty well set at wide receiver. The Dolphins have their big three of Jarvis Landry, Kenny Stills, and DeVante Parker with 2016 third round pick Leonte Carroo and Jakeem Grant in support. The Bucs have Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson, Adam Humphries, Chris Godwin, and Josh Huff with talented receivers like Freddie Martino and Donteea Dye on the fringe. In Jacksonville, standouts Allen Robinson, Marqise Lee, and Allen Hurns are joined by rookie Dede Westbrook and former Buc Arrelious Benn. That’s not to say that Boldin couldn’t crack the roster with those teams, but there is not a clear path to significant playing time.
Meanwhile, it doesn’t sound like the Lions are looking for a reunion. Even though Boldin all Lions WRs in touchdown catches (eight) and finished second in receptions (61) in 2016, coach Jim Caldwell says that he’s content with his current group.
“You never say never,” Caldwell said. “Obviously, he contributed quite a bit for us, just not certain at this point in time. I think we’re in good shape where we are right now. I think we have a really good core.”
Boldin, 37 in October, averaged a career-worst 8.7 yards per grab last year. Even though he still has solid route running skills and soft hands, he’s not quite as fleet-footed as he used to be.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/14/17
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: WR Cameron Posey
- Waived: S Brian Blechen
Denver Broncos
- Signed: CB Chris Lewis-Harris (Twitter link via Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post)
- Waived: CB Taurean Nixon
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: T Robert Leff
- Waived: C Jacob Flores
- Waived off IR with injury settlement: CB David Rivers (Twitter link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived off IR with injury settlement: DE Deondre Barnett (Twitter link via Howard Balzer)
Washington Redskins
- Waived: DB Shakiel Randolph
Buccaneers Waive Two
- The Buccaneers announced that they’ve waived defensive end Deondre Barnett and linebacker Paul Magliore in order to make room for defensive ends Tavaris Barnes and Sterling Bailey, each of whom’s signing was reported on Tuesday. Both Barnett (UCF) and Magliore (Appalachian State) were undrafted free agents whom recently signed with Tampa Bay.
Buccaneers Sign Two Defensive Ends
The Buccaneers have added some reinforcement to their defense today, as the team has signed a pair of defensive ends. Mike Kaye of First Coast News reports (via Twitter) that the organization has signed Tavaris Barnes, while Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (via Twitter) that the Bucs added Sterling Bailey.
Barnes, a former undrafted free agent out of Clemson, has spent time with the Saints and Seahawks. He ended up appearing in 12 games for Seattle during the 2015 season, compiling five tackles. Kaye had reported that the defensive end was working out for the team earlier today.
Meanwhile, Bailey joined the league as an undrafted free agent out of Georgia in 2016. The 24-year-old has had brief stints with the Colts, Seahawks, and Vikings, but he’s yet to make an NFL appearance.
The two players will be joining a crowded Buccaneers defensive end depth chart. Behind starters William Gholston and Robert Ayers, the team is currently rostering Noah Spence, Jacquies Smith, DaVonte Lambert, Ryan Russell, Channing Ward, and George Johnson. Of course, Ayers, Spence, Smith, and Russell are currently recovering from injuries, so today’s acquisitions might solely be intended for additional depth during OTAs.
Nick Folk Confident He'll Kick With Bucs Or Another Team In 2017
Folk signed a one-year, $1.75MM deal with $750K guaranteed. Aguayo went 22-for-31 on field goals last season, putting the former second-round pick’s future in question. Auman offers that Folk’s experience as an 11th-year veteran could give him the edge if this competition is close, Aguayo’s status as a rare Day 2 kicker pick notwithstanding. As Auman points out, Folk winning the job would make it six straight years the Bucs will have deployed a different kicker.
Despite spending the entirety of the 2010s thus far with the Jets and being that franchise’s most accurate kicker, Nick Folk wasn’t especially surprised by his early-offseason release. The 32-year-old kicker is now with the Buccaneers, which would be surprising given their recent investment history at this position. Roberto Aguayo‘s struggles have opened the door to an ongoing competition, but Folk doesn’t believe he has to win it to be kicking in the NFL this season.
Jets Shopped Sheldon Richardson To Bucs, Colts, Seahawks
The Jets are still attempting to shop defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson, and though they’ve offered him to clubs such as the Buccaneers, Colts, and Seahawks, Gang Green has yet to find a taker, reports Rich Cimini of ESPN.com.
New York has been accepting offers for Richardson since at least the 2016 trade deadline, when both the Broncos and Cowboys expressed interest in the 26-year-old. Last month, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com suggested that while the Jets want to move Richardson, they won’t simply give him away. The likelihood of a trade could be around 50/50, as Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News recently reported New York’s price for its talented pass rusher has dropped.
Richardson certainly has his warts, which could contribute to a limited trade market. For one, he wasn’t all that effective last season, as Richardson managed only 1.5 sacks in 15 games (though he still graded out as the NFL’s No. 31 edge defender, per Pro Football Focus). Richardson also comes with off-field question marks, as he has a substance abuse suspension in his past, and has dealt with commitment and tardiness issues.
Additionally, Richardson is only under contract for one more season. In 2017, Richardson will earn $8.069MM under the terms of his fifth-year option before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2018.
NFC South Teams Take On Int’l Players
The NFL announced that the teams of the NFC South will be carrying an additional overseas player on their practice squads during the upcoming season. This is part of the league’s flagship International Player Pathway program.
Now, the Falcons, Panthers, Saints, and Buccaneers will all be operating with an 11-man practice squad while the rest of the league has ten. However, they don’t necessarily have an advantage over other clubs because these additional overseas players cannot be activated during the season.
Here is a look at the players who will be joining each taxi squad:
- Falcons: Alex Gray, TE – Gray, a former rugby star, is the first English rugby union professional to quit the sport to pursue American football. The 26-year-old was named the England Sevens player of the year in 2015. He not to be confused with the undrafted Appalachian State safety of the same name who joined the Bucs’ 90-man roster.
- Panthers: Efe Obada, DE – Obada, who grew up in the Netherlands and England, was on the Cowboys’ practice squad in 2010. Prior to the 2016 season, he also had brief stints with the Chiefs and Falcons.
- Saints: Alex Jenkins, DE – Jenkins was born and raised in England but actually has a background in American football. Back home, he played for the Bath City Academy and for the Bristol Aztecs before earning a spot on the Great Britain youth team. He played his college ball in San Antonio, Texas at the University of the Incarnate Word. He had 3.5 sacks in his senior year.
- Buccaneers: Eric Nzeocha, LB – Nzeocha is now the second German-born player to join up with the Bucs in franchise history. German safety Claudius Osei spent the 2005 campaign on Tampa Bay’s taxi squad as part of a similar program. Nzeocha’s brother Mark is a linebacker for the Cowboys.
Buccaneers Sign Justin Evans
- The Buccaneers have inked second-round safety Justin Evans to a deal, tweets FanRag’s Roy Cummings. With Evans under contract, the only one of the Bucs’ six picks who’s unsigned is third-rounder Chris Godwin. Evans, the 50th pick, played the previous two seasons at Texas A&M, breaking out as a playmaker in 2016 with four interceptions. The 6-foot, 199-pound Evans is an “extremely physical hitter,” per NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, who notes that he has the makings of a “plus NFL starter.”
Buccaneers Sign Three Draft Picks
- The Buccaneers have agreed to terms with third-round linebacker Kendell Beckwith, fifth-round running back Jeremy McNichols, and seventh-round defensive tackle Stevie Tu’ikolovatu, the club announced today. Tampa Bay traded up in the draft to acquire both Beckwith and Tu’ikolovatu. Of the trio, Beckwith seemingly has the best chance for playing time early in his career, as he can take over at strong-side ‘backer for Daryl Smith. McNichols, meanwhile, could earn a role pending Doug Martin‘s eventual martin, although the Boise State product is recovering from surgery.
Cecil Shorts III Eyeing 2018 Return
After suffering a series of gruesome knee injuries last year, Cecil Shorts III won’t be able to take the field in 2017, he tells SiriusXM (on Twitter). He’ll take the year off and work towards an NFL return in 2018. 
Shorts suffered a torn ACL, MCL, and PCL along with a dislocated knee midway through his season with the Buccaneers. That was just the latest setback for Shorts who missed 19 regular season games between 2011 and 2015. Shorts managed to gut his way through some hamstring issues, but this is the toughest challenge he has ever faced.
Even before the injury last winter, Shorts wasn’t exactly setting the world on fire. In nine games, he had just eleven catches for 152 yards.
Shorts will turn 30 in December, so he’ll be looking to get back into football on the verge of his age-31 season.