Buccaneers’ Dominique Robertson Shot In Leg
TUESDAY, 11:41am: Ali categorized Robertson as having a clean record when speaking on behalf of his client after the shooting. But Auman reports Robertson pleaded guilty to misdemeanor simple assault and misdemeanor obstruction while at West Georgia in 2015. The offensive lineman initially received a felony charge for that Jan. 2015 incident, because of which he remains on probation.
According to a police report obtained by the Carrollton Times-Georgian, Robertson shoved a police officer against the wall with his back as he was trying to arrest the 315-pound lineman, inducing the officer to be hospitalized for a torn tendon after a “brief struggle.”
SATURDAY, 12:33pm: Buccaneers offensive lineman Dominique Robertson was “hospitalized with gunshot wounds” on Thursday morning in Loma Linda, California, reports Greg Auman of TampaBay.com. The undrafted rookie has been released from the hospital and has been questioned by police.
The player’s attorney, Zulu Ali, said the 22-year-old was shot twice in the leg, and he was adamant that Robertson was a “victim” and “bystander.” Ali also noted that the lineman was “doing OK” after the incident. Robertson was reportedly questioned by police for four hours after being released from the hospital.
“We just basically know that he was obviously a victim of a shooting and they came and they took him directly out of the hospital,” Ali said (via Eric Edholm of Yahoo Sports).
Robertson told authorities that he was shot outside of an apartment complex, although residents reportedly heard no gunfire.
“We are aware of the reports concerning Dominique Robertson,” the Buccaneers said in a statement (via Auman). “We can confirm that he has been released from the hospital and is at home resting. We are in the process of gathering more information, but our primary concern is for Dominique’s health and well-being.”
Robertson, the nephew of Buccaneers offensive line coach George Warhop, is a rookie out of Division II West Georgia. Auman notes that he was working as the “second-team guard” during practices and minicamp, although J.R. Sweezy‘s absence likely contributed to the increased role.
Mike Smith's Bucs Defense More Flexibile?
- The Buccaneers reuniting Mike Smith with Dirk Koetter is one of the reasons Tampa Bay fans should be excited about the season, Roy Cummings of Today’s Pigskin writes. Smith will be tailoring a more versatile scheme around the players’ strengths, Cummings writes, as the Bucs move away from Lovie Smith‘s preferred Tampa-2 scheme. Koetter worked as the Falcons’ OC under Smith from 2012-14. Smith spent last season out of football.
Auman: Positions Where Bucs Could Target FA Upgrades
- Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter recently indicated that his club may target a few veteran free agents to round out the roster when cuts start being made this summer, and Greg Auman of The Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter) indicated that obvious positions in need of an upgrade are fourth defensive tackle, third running back, and fifth linebacker.
Licht: Aguayo 'Best College Kicker I've Ever Seen'
The rookie who never missed a kick under 40 yards with Florida State and drilled all 198 of his college-range extra points induced the Bucs to trade up to draft him, making Aguayo the highest kicker selected since Mike Nugent went to the Jets in the 2005 second round at No. 47.
Buccaneers GM Jason Licht justified his decision to take a kicker in the second round by labeling Roberto Aguayo as the top kicking prospect he’d seen.
Bucs Looking To Target Veteran FAs?
- The Falcons tried to lure guard J.R. Sweezy to Atlanta during the free agent period, but the price tag on the former Seahawk eventually got too expensive, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Sweezy eventually signed with another NFC South club, inking a five-year, $32.5MM deal with the Buccaneers. The Falcons, meanwhile, will fill right guard with either veteran Chris Chester, who was re-signed over the offseason, or Mike Person.
- The Buccaneers might not be done adding free agents, and Joe Kania of Buccaneers.com identifies three veterans — edge rusher Dwight Freeney, wide receiver James Jones, and guard Jahri Evans — who could be of interest to the club in the coming weeks. For what it’s worth, all three players were listed on PFR’s ranking of the best remaining free agents on offense and defense.
Cummings: Five Veterans Who Could Be On Roster Bubble
- Roy Cummings of The Tampa Tribune looks at five veteran Buccaneers who could be on the roster bubble, a list headlined by tight end Brandon Myers and right tackle Gosder Cherilus.
Opinion: Was Lovie Smith Given Fair Shake?
- Was firing Lovie Smith and hiring Dirk Koetter the right move for the Buccaneers? Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com doesn’t think that Smith was given enough time to fix what was broken in Tampa for a long time. Although Smith was criticized for pushing the Tampa 2 scheme to hard in his two years with the Bucs, McClure hears that Gerald McCoy‘s work ethic was suspect, and that may have been the culprit of some D-Line issues. Meanwhile, Koetter got a lot of credit for turning around the Bucs’ offense, but McClure notes that the team also emphasized offense with 12 of 13 draft picks coming on offense during the 2014 and 2015 drafts, which surely helped. Smith may have been behind the 8-ball from the start as one source told McClure that he inherited a team “in disarray” in Tampa with “a lot of guys who didn’t love football.”
Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is a household name and widely considered to be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL today. But how do his divisional foes regard him? Jenna Laine of ESPN.com spoke with a few Buccaneers players who say that they respect him overall with one player admitting that tackling him is a “chore.” As for his touchdown celebrations, Tampa players don’t seem to be nearly as irked by his dancing as some of the country’s talking heads are.
Bucs Notes: Seferian-Jenkins, Gilkey
In a bit of voluntary OTA drama on Thursday, first-year Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter sent Austin Seferian-Jenkins off the field because the tight end “didn’t know what he was doing” (via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times). “I did send him off,” Koetter said afterward. “That’s between me and him. … You guys are making more of it than you need to.” Seferian-Jenkins ended up taking to Twitter right after leaving the field and posting some fired-up messages (click for links) while his teammates were still practicing, though it doesn’t appear that anything else will come of the situation.
- The status of guard Garrett Gilkey, who hasn’t been with Buccaneers as he recovers from knee surgery, remains murky. “I don’t know,” Koetter said when asked about Gilkey (Twitter link via Auman).
Buccaneers Jettison UDFA Wideout
- The Buccaneers waived rookie UDFA wideout Dez Stewart off their injury reserve with a likely injury settlement, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reports (on Twitter).
Bucs Sign Kicker Roberto Aguayo
The Buccaneers announced that they have signed second-round pick Roberto Aguayo. With the kicker under contract, the Bucs have now signed every member of their 2016 draft class. 
Some were surprised when the Bucs traded into the second-round of this year’s draft to grab the FSU kicker, but it turns out that the team thinks even more highly of his leg than that. Recently, GM Jason Licht claimed that he had first-round grades on three of his rookies this year, including Aguayo. Along with Aguayo, the GM feels that he snared first-round talents in cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III and defensive end Noah Spence.
Hargreaves, meanwhile, inked his rookie contract roughly one month ago. The No. 11 overall pick was the second cornerback to come off the board in the 2016 draft, having been selected one spot behind Eli Apple, after the Buccaneers traded down from No. 9 to No. 11. The University of Florida product will compete for a starting job in Tampa Bay’s secondary this summer, joining free agent signee Brent Grimes at or near the top of the club’s new-look cornerback depth chart.
To recap, here is the full list of the Bucs’ 2016 draft class:
- 1-11: Vernon Hargreaves III, CB (Florida): Signed
- 2-39: Noah Spence, DE (Eastern Kentucky): Signed
- 2-59: Roberto Aguayo, K (Florida State)
- 4-108: Ryan Smith, DB (North Carolina Central): Signed
- 5-148: Caleb Benenoch, T (UCLA): Signed
- 6-183: Devante Bond, LB (Oklahoma): Signed
- 6-197: Dan Vitale, FB (Northwestern): Signed
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.