Bucs Fond Of Ryan Griffin, Intend To Add FB
- Koetter also said today that the Buccaneers intend to add a fullback to their roster, per Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (Twitter link).
- Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter believes Mike Glennon is capable of starting in the NFL, and prefers to keep him in the mix, but he acknowledged today that the team is fond of Ryan Griffin as well, hinting that Griffin would also be capable of backing up Jameis Winston if Glennon is dealt (Twitter links via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times and Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune).
- Koetter also said today that the Buccaneers intend to add a fullback to their roster, per Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (Twitter link).
Buccaneers To Sign Bryan Anger
The Buccaneers have agreed to terms on a contract for Bryan Anger, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). According to Caplan, it’s a one-year deal for the free agent punter.
Anger, who was memorably selected by the Jaguars in the third round of the 2012 draft just ahead of players like Russell Wilson and T.Y. Hilton, spent four seasons in Jacksonville, averaging 46.8 yards per punt during that time. However, the Jaguars opted not to re-sign him when he became a free agent this year, instead landing ex-Panthers punter Brad Nortman on a four-year contract.
Having lost Nortman to the Jags, the Panthers had some preliminary talks with Anger, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. But rather than joining the NFC champs, the 27-year-old will be signing with Carolina’s division rivals in Tampa Bay.
Jake Schum, who made his NFL debut in 2015, handled punting duties for the Buccaneers. Schum averaged just 41.9 yards per attempt, which ranked second-last in the league among qualified players, but his net average was a decent 38.0, and opposing returners totaled just 140 yards on his punts.
Schum’s hold on the starting job looks tenuous with Anger now in the mix, though we’ll have to see the terms on Anger’s new deal to get a sense of how open the competition will be.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Noah Spence To Visit Bucs
- Eastern Kentucky pass rusher Noah Spence has visits lined up with the Jets, Colts, Packers, Bucs, Ravens, Jaguars, Cardinals, and Saints, according to Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (on Twitter). Spence, a former star at Ohio State, was dismissed from the Buckeyes after two positive tests for ecstasy. In 2015, Spence shined for the Colonels, but he’ll now have to answer questions about his history. Still, he is extremely talented and teams are not shying away from him.
Bucs GM Talks Mike Glennon, Greg Hardy
The Bucs GM also dismissed the idea that he has been demanding a first-round pick from any team interested in Glennon: “It’s false that I’ve been calling every team saying I need a first (round pick). I haven’t been calling every team. Even with those that have inquired, it’s been ‘Let’s keep talking.’ It hasn’t been, ‘we need this.'”
With the Broncos, Jets, and Browns among the teams still in the market for a possible starting quarterback for the 2016 season, Buccaneers GM Jason Licht was once again asked today about the likelihood of a Mike Glennon trade, as Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times details.
Licht confirmed that teams have expressed interest in Glennon, and didn’t oppose the idea of a deal as strongly he has in some past instances. However, it still sounds like he and the Buccaneers prefer to keep the backup signal-caller, with Licht suggesting he feels “very good about the fact we have two good young quarterbacks.”
- Licht also said today that the Buccaneers have not discussed the possibility of signing free agent defensive end Greg Hardy, per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). The Buccaneers reportedly considered Hardy a year ago, but passed on him then and appear likely to pass again this time around.
Buccaneers To Visit With Florida CB Vernon Hargreaves
Florida cornerback Vernon Hargreaves has visits lined up with eight clubs, including the Jaguars, Ravens, Cowboys, and Buccaneers, reports Rand Getlin of NFL.com (Twitter link). Hargreaves, considered one of the best defensive backs available in the draft, will probably garner interest from any team picking in the top 15.
Bucs To Meet With Oklahoma State DE Emmanuel Ogbah
- Oklahoma State defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah has lined up visits with the Bears and Buccaneers, he told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
Buccaneers To Sign Daryl Smith
The Buccaneers will sign linebacker Daryl Smith, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Ravens cut Smith earlier this month in order to save roughly $2.6MM against the 2016 cap. Now, Smith will give the Bucs a linebacker to replace last year’s starter, Danny Lansanah.
Smith, who joined the Ravens for the 2013 season after spending nine years in Jacksonville, hasn’t missed a game in his three years in Baltimore, starting the last 48 regular-season games for the club. In 2015, he racked up 121 tackles to go along with three sacks and an interception.
While Smith’s release came as a bit of a surprise, Pro Football Focus did rank him just 71st out of 97 qualified linebackers in 2015, and he did just recently celebrate his 34th birthday. The Ravens ultimately decided to go younger and cheaper at the position while potentially not taking a major step back in terms of production.
The Bucs, meanwhile, pounced on an opportunity to add a talented veteran linebacker with big-game experience. Smith met with the Bucs on Thursday afternoon and, just hours later, found his new NFL home.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Free Agent Rumors: Upshaw, Pats, CJ2K
Linebacker Courtney Upshaw remains on the open market here in mid-March, but his field of suitors could soon grow a little bit larger. A league source tells Mike Florio of PFT that the 49ers and Patriots could jump into the mix for the Ravens free agent linebacker. The former second-round pick, who is visiting with the Jets today,was an honorable mention on PFR’s Top 50 Free Agents list.
Here are the latest free agent rumors from around the league:
- The Dolphins announced that Chris Johnson has wrapped up his free agent visit. That announcement infers that there is no deal – at least, not yet – between CJ2K and Miami. Johnson is said to be deciding between the Dolphins and the incumbent Cardinals.
- Before putting pen-to-paper with the Ravens, the Cowboys stood as the other finalist for Eric Weddle, Dan Pompei of Bleacher Report writes. The safety had a multitude of offers and before he was down to two clubs, Weddle weeded out proposals from teams that were not positioned to in 2016. One of those teams, according to agent David Canter, made Weddle the most lucrative offer of any suitor.
- Former Ravens linebacker Daryl Smith is visiting the Buccaneers, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Ravens cut Smith earlier this month in order to save roughly $2.6MM against the 2016 cap. Smith, who joined the Ravens for the 2013 season after spending nine years in Jacksonville, hasn’t missed a game in his three years in Baltimore, starting the last 48 regular-season games for the club. In 2015, he racked up 121 tackles to go along with three sacks and an interception.
Extra Points: Chancellor, Cardinals, Draft, Jets
Four-time Pro Bowl Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor hasn’t been shy about voicing his disenchantment with his current contract, going so far as to sit out all of last summer and then the first two games of the season in an effort to land a better one. Though that gambit backfired, he’s in no hurry to leave Seattle. Chancellor took to Instagram on Wednesday and posted a picture with the message: “I’m not going anywhere.” The 27-year-old also wrote, “Seattle is my Second home. I don’t plan on going anywhere unless some higher power places me elsewhere.” Chancellor has two years remaining on his deal.
More from around the NFL as we wrap up Wednesday…
- The right side of the Cardinals’ offensive line will consist of newly signed Evan Mathis (guard) and D.J. Humphries (tackle), while A.Q. Shipley is the current starter at center, according to general manager Steve Keim (Twitter link via Darren Urban of the team’s website).
- On the other side of the ball, newly acquired pass rusher Chandler Jones will shift from defensive end – where he played in New England – to outside linebacker for the Cardinals, per Keim. The deal to land Jones took about three days to execute, the GM added (Twitter link via Ben Volin of the Boston Globe). It’s worth mentioning that defensive ends cost more to franchise tag than linebackers ($15.701MM to $14.129MM this year), which could impact Jones – who will be a free agent next offseason.
- Ohio State cornerback Eli Apple has lined up visits with more than 16 teams, including the Rams, Buccaneers, Dolphins and Jaguars, per Rand Getlin of NFL.com (on Twitter).
- Baylor defensive tackle Andrew Billings has met with the Buccaneers, Steelers, 49ers and Lions, he told James Palmer of NFL Network (Twitter link).
- Receiver/returner Jordan Norwood will join linebacker Courtney Upshaw in visiting the Jets on Thursday, reports Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter link). Norwood, 29, has played sporadically with three different teams since entering the league in 2009. He spent last season with the champion Broncos, amassing 22 receptions and 11 returns, and set the record for the longest Super Bowl punt return (61 yards).
Draft Rumors: Cowboys, Ramsey, Bosa
The Cowboys want Jalen Ramsey, but they fear that he’ll be gone by No. 4, Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net writes (via PhiladelphiaEagles.com). With that in mind, Dallas is eyeing Ohio State standouts Joey Bosa and Ezekiel Elliott. Bosa would help bolster the team at defensive end while DeMarcus Lawrence recovers from surgery and Randy Gregory serves his first month suspension. Elliott, meanwhile, would give the team help at running back.
Here are the latest rumors on the 2016 NFL Draft (all of which come from Pauline, unless otherwise indicated):
- Insiders believe that we could se three offensive tackles – Laremy Tunsil, Ronnie Stanley, and Jack Conklin – go in the first top 12 picks of the draft. That could start a run and Pauline writes that we could see six tackles taken in the first round.
- The Cowboys would consider trading down, Pauline hears, but they want to stay ahead of the Giants at No. 10.
- Observers at the UCLA pro day described Myles Jack as a “remarkable athlete.” One source told Pauline (in his running log for Walter Football) that “he looked like a defensive back doing linebacker drills.”
- Aaron Wallace, the Bruins’ other notable linebacker, is gaining a lot of momentum in the scouting community, Pauline hears. Wallace currently has official visits set up with the Buccaneers, Browns, and Raiders with more likely on the way.
- UCLA offensive lineman Caleb Benenoch has been graded as a top-75 selection, according to Pauline. Many believe that Benenoch can play tackle and guard in addition to center.
- Georgia linebacker Jordan Jenkins says that he’ll have private workouts with the Raiders, Patriots, and Saints, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets.
- Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (on Twitter) reports that Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook has private workouts scheduled with the Cowboys and Dolphins.
- All 32 NFL teams were in attendance at MSU’s pro day, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. At the event, Cook met with the 49ers and Rams before the workout and met with the Browns‘ staff after.
- Michigan State defensive tackle Joel Heath says that he will have a private workout with the Patriots this week, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com tweets. In addition to that, he’ll meet with the Titans later this month. Heath previously met with the Colts and Buccaneers.
- Pittsburgh wide receiver Tyler Boyd looked great at his Pro Day and the slowest unofficial 40-year-dash time that has been reported was in the low 4.5s.
- Pittsburgh corner Lafayette Pitts recorded 40-yard-dash times under 4.4 seconds, with some watches marking him at 4.35.
- There’s no definitive word on whether Virginia Tech cornerback Kendall Fuller will work out before the draft.
- Youngstown State linebacker Terrell Williams is drawing interest from clubs. The Jets and Eagles, in particular, see him as a quality backup linebacker/core special teams guy.
- The Lions have a private workouts set up with Michigan State offensive linemen Jack Conklin, Jack Allen, and Donavon Clark later this month, Birkett tweets.