Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Charles Johnson, Roddy White worth examining

Perhaps no team in the NFL needs pass rushing help more than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and recently released NFC South star Charles Johnson is the type of veteran player who could give the Bucs a huge boost up front. Another long-time NFC South beast, Roddy White, could be worth a flier on offense, though Johnson would undoubtedly fill a bigger need in Tampa.

A big reason for Lovie Smith’s firing from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason was the fact that his outdated approach to building defenses left the team with the NFL’s worst situation at both cornerback and defensive end. Those are the two most important positions in the 4-3 defense in today’s NFL climate, and the only name an average fan would recognize at either position is former Tennessee Titans star Alterraun Verner, who hasn’t exactly looked like a star since joining the Bucs.

Meanwhile, the Buccaneers biggest addition at defensive end last offseason was the acquisition of George Johnson from the Detroit Lions via a trade, and his production predictably plummeted without the benefit of the Lions stacked front seven. The Bucs biggest priority this offseason will be to boost their pass rush, preferably with two new defensive ends, and the good news is that there are already two worthy candidates at the 4-3 DE position in free agency.

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The Buffalo Bills cut ties with Mario Williams in a move that just about everybody expected, and the Carolina Panthers followed suit today, releasing Charles Johnson. In this piece, I’ll focus on Johnson, since he is coming off of a much better year than Williams, who was even accused by a teammate, as per the Buffalo News’s Ty Dunne, for quitting on the team.

Williams seems like a bounce-back candidate waiting to happen, but there is no such need to cross your fingers and hope for a better season from Johnson.

That’s because Johnson has consistently been one of the NFL’s better defensive ends, and he only stepped up his play after the Carolina Panthers suspended Greg Hardy indefinitely before letting him walk to non NFC-winning pastures. Johnson was only released because Dave Gettleman knew it was worth it to save a whopping $11 million in cap hit. Yes, Johnson’s contract was a holdover from the Marty “Reward Everyone!” Hurney era.

Set to be 30 when the season opens up, Johnson is coming off of a season in which he played in just nine games and recorded one sack. Those seem like horrible numbers, but the sacks never tell the whole story with Johnson. He pretty much carried the Panthers edge rush on his back, and his biggest asset is his ability to steadily come up with pressure, which is by far the Buccaneers biggest problem on defense.

The price has to be right here, and I think the Bucs should go after the cheaper player between Johnson and Williams. But the Bucs have such a profound need at defensive end that they should hedge their bets by adding two DEs. I would recommend signing a veteran and drafting a rookie on top of that, with Noah Spence and Shaq Lawson looking like two great options.

Roddy White

Shifting gears, let’s take a look at Roddy White, who was released by the Atlanta Falcons. A franchise icon who was once one of the game’s best receivers, White is a shell of his former self, and his release from the Falcons was almost a no-brainer. He brings veteran savvy, solid hands, steady route-running, and a willingness to block. The problem is that he’s declined to the point where he can no longer challenge defenses vertically, making him a limited player and an ideal No. 3 (or even No. 4 receiver).

The thing is, that’s the kind of player the Buccaneers have a need for. In an ideal world, the Bucs would get their hands on a pure slot receiver with quicks and good hands, but those players are difficult to come by. If one is available in free agency, he might not be cheap, since this free agent class could get overpaid. As for the draft, that’s still a possibility, but the Buccaneers could prioritize other positions, or they might want White as a one-year stopgap for a young guy.

Aug 23, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White (84) makes a move on Tennessee Titans strong safety Bernard Pollard (31) after a catch in the first quarter of their game at the Georgia Dome. The Titans won 24-17. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /

At 34, White should only receive one-year deals near the minimum from teams, though he could pack in some incentives. Someone out there might overrate him as a starting-caliber “Z” receiver, and while it isn’t out of the realm of reason for him to get back to that point, he has put in two years of subpar tape, severely handicapping Matt Ryan and the Falcons offense in the process. Leonard Hankerson did more for the Falcons than White did in 2015, and that’s saying something.

However, Dirk Koetter could be interested in a reunion, and White would be an asset, as opposed to a liability, in the Bucs system. Mike Evans, Vincent Jackson, and Austin Seferian-Jenkins are all big, athletic, explosive options who can hoard targets, leaving White to mix in for possession-type plays on the inside or outside.

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As with Johnson, it all depends on cost here, but White could pique the Buccaneers interest. Yesterday, the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport told us to keep Koetter and the Bucs in mind, and the fact that this tweet came immediately after White’s release tells me that there’s real smoke here.

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