Tampa Bay Buccaneers not prioritizing Michael Bennett

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a couple of defensive lineman set to hit the free agent market tomorrow, and the biggest one is defensive end Michael Bennett– their biggest free agent this offseason. Several teams have shown interest in Bennett, and one of those teams in the Tennessee Titans, who look hungry to sign talent in the trenches this offseason (they are going hard after Buffalo Bills guard Andy Levitre).

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Bennett put together another great season in 2012, and he built on his solid success last year as a pass rusher. In a contract year, Bennett put up 23 hits on the quarterback and was easily the most productive member of an inconsistent Buccaneers pass rush. The Bucs will most likely not be able to re-sign Bennett, and it sounds like they aren’t exactly going hard after him either.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, Bennett is “not a priority” for the Bucs this offseason, despite the fact that he is one of the best impending free agent DEs (likely second behind Cliff Avril) and wants to stay in Tampa Bay. The Bucs would be losing one of the game’s best all-around DEs, as Bennett’s forte comes as a run-stopper. Just as he did in 2011, Bennett put on a show against the run.

The Times also notes that former Atlanta Falcons standout John Abraham could be a target for the Buccaneers to replace Bennett, but it is unclear at the moment if Abraham will take a trip to Dale Mabry and check out the Bucs on a visit after visiting the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers on a west coast visit.

The Bucs priority this offseason is likely to sign a cornerback, because they desperately need one. At this point in time, it seems like they are heavily targeting Derek Cox and Sean Smith.

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