Lavelle Hawkins expected to sign with Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Lavelle Hawkins (10) warms up prior to the start of the Chargers game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Liu-USA TODAY Sports
Former Tennessee Titans wide receiver Lavelle Hawkins caught 47 passes for 470 yards in 2011, appearing in all 16 games for the team that year, but he hasn’t caught more than seven passes in a season outside of the at decent, modest breakout year in 2011. In fact, his reception totals in his other five seasons are seven, seven, five, five, and zero, as he appeared in just four games for the San Diego Chargers last year as deep depth chart fodder following Malcom Floyd’s severe neck injury.
Hawkins is currently a free agent and did plenty of roster shuffling last season, spending time with the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers before being released shortly after signing during training camp. The Atlanta Falcons looked into him early in the regular season before he signed with the Chargers, and obviously nothing came out of that workout.
Per a source close to ESPN’s Adam Caplan, the next move for the uber-aggressive Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason is to sign Lavelle Hawkins, as he is expected to sign with the team. The Buccaneers traded troublesome wide receiver Mike Williams to the Buffalo Bills for the sixth-round pick after somewhat standing by him initially, and he had already fallen out of favor big-time with the old regime; not even Lovie Smith and Jason Licht could save him, and now he’s going to be coached by the guy whom he basically quit on in college.
Anyway, Hawkins will be quality depth at the wide receiver position for the Buccaneers, but the organization is still clearly gunning for an impact player at the position. Nobody should fully expect Hawkins to make the roster out of training camp, as the 27-year-old’s odds probably aren’t even 50-50.