[1]Re-sign Kenyatta or find another OT.
[2]Find another wideout that can stretch the field (Sinorice Moss?)
[3]A-Train coming back?
[4]Find some defensive line depth, especially if Wyms is cut.
*edited/numbered for clarity1) Walker WILL stay this year. It's a foregone conclusion that he is staying. He has a base salary of $670k this year, and is in a contract year, so he'll be playing for a fat contract. The Bucs couldn't find a better deal if they searched all of free agency. First Round pick playing for peanuts that's an average starter at worst with four years of system experience and potentially a pro bowler (doubt that though) at best if he can reach his full potential.
2) Sinorice Moss! I really like them to add a speedy understudy to Galloway before he starts to noticably decline. That player, whomever it is (cough Moss cough), would ideally play No.3 early on. Larry Brackins should move up to No.4 if he's progressing the way he should be. I still see him as a project that will take at least one, maybe two more seasons before we start seeing what he is really capable of. I really don't see him breaking out until his 4th or 5th season though, so we may need to sign a WR4 as well. Ideally, our WR3 will be a return specialist, so that we don't need to keep Mark Jones on the roster.
3) I believe he will be back, but I think he might be released. If he is brought back, it will be at a lot less than he's scheduled to make now.
1996 131000.00
1997 596875.00
1998 650000.00
1999 1100000.00
2000 2000000.00
2001 2400000.00
2002 600000.00
2003 1100000.00
2004 660000.00
2005 1500000.00
I think his expected salary of like $5-6M is obviously egregious and wasn't expected to be earned at any point during the signing. However, I do believe he should play again next year for around $1-1.5M. That should save the Bucs about $4M.
4) Unfortunately, it looks like Anthony McFarland and his exorbitant contract will be back next season, because even though he's scheduled to make something like $8M, cutting him would create about $6M+ in dead money, and that just doesn't seem likely to happen. I do expect Chris Hovan to re-sign at NT and with a decent contract, probably making between $1-2M this year. I expect DeWayne White to play DE opposite Simeon Rice and beat out Greg Spires, but Spires should stay (will provide solid backup). The biggest need is finding someone to push McFarland to his real potential as an UT this year, and someone to take over for him if and when he invariably falls short this year. A guy like Jonathan Lewis of Virginia Tech or Jesse Mahelona would look fantastic in a Bucs uniform and can be had in the 2nd/3rd round. Both are among the best prototype UTs in the draft (behind only blue chipper Brodrick Bunkley, and Claude Wroten, who is still a bit raw) and either should be a solid starter next year for the Bucs.
What I'm most interested to see is how they shape up their OL. I see a few possibilities:
Status Quo
OLT - Anthony Davis
OLG - Dan Buenning
OC - John Wade
ORG - Sean Mahan
ORT - Kenyatta Walker
Davis to RG, Wade Out
OLT - Rookie/Todd Steussie
OLG - Dan Buenning
OC - Sean Mahan
ORG - Anthony Davis
ORT - Kenyatta Walker
Wade Out, new RG.
OLT - Anthony Davis
OLG - Dan Buenning
OC - Sean Mahan
ORG - Rookie/Jeb Terry
ORT - Kenyatta Walker
Depending on the availability of first round tackle prospects and how they view Anthony Davis (either as a guard or tackle), will determine what they do with that first round pick. I think Option #3 is the most likely to happen. Either way though, Buenning and Walker are locks at their positions, and I see Davis and Mahan as locks to be starters as well, either at LT/RG or RG/C, respectively.
I am also concerned about the safety position. I used to intern at a local Bucs radio station, and one of the questions asked to Jermaine Phillips was who he'd most like to get a clean hit on. He picked Kevan Barlow. To me, this defines Phillips as a safety. He sucks and gets runover way too much.
The Bucs have a lot of young guys at Safety and don't really need to spend a Day 1 pick on one, but whether those guys are ready to play will be one of the bigger questions heading into next season.
Personally, I see our secondary like this:
FS - Will Allen, Rookie
SS - Jermaine Phillips, Kalvin Pearson, Donte Nicholson.
Phillips has been under-performing for most of his four-year career, but now in his 4th year, that potential that the Bucs organization saw in him has still yet to materialize, and he's really just showed that he is capable of being an adequate backup. One reason he stayed last year was because he only made $450k. This year, his salary jumps to $1.35M. He likely won't be released because the net savings would only be about $500k, and that's not really enough to do any damage anywhere. In 2007 though, he will have a replacement lined up and releasing him would save roughly $1.25M.
As far as Cornerbacks go, I expect the Bucs to invest heavily in CB in next year's draft, while only spending maybe a day 2 pick this year. Just like the Eagles did with Bobby Taylor and Troy Vincent, the Bucs will groom both corners starting next year to takeover for Barber and Kelly after two seasons, by 2009.
As far as their 2006 outlook, I see them definitely winning the division and being positioned for a playoff push. However, they are not a championship caliber team yet, IMO. That window likely will be open and shut in 2007, because that's when the young corps will be entering in their prime and the old corps will be initially starting to decline. Hopefully, the Bucs can get a ring in '07, because they will take a step back when Brooks/Rice/Barber/Kelly are gone between '07-'08.
My prediction for them is 12-4, and NFC Runner-Ups.
Think that's about all I can write about now. Have an early morning
.
All systems are go for 2006.
