Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Devin McCourty the pipe dream

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers head into the offseason with very few major impending free agents, and, in fact, it looks like Mason Foster, Major Wright, and Dane Fletcher are their three best impending free agents, and none of those three players are anything resembling stars. With well over $20 million in cap space, the Buccaneers are positioned for another active offseason, which is something head coach Lovie Smith has pretty much admitted.

Since they were the worst team in the NFL, the Buccaneers have plenty of work to do outside of just drafting a top quarterback with the first overall pick, since they have monstrous needs on the offensive line, especially if they want to cut ties with 2014 free agent Anthony Collins. Moreover, the Bucs secondary is an absolute mess, as they allowed 6.8 net yards per attempt, 25.6 points per game, and over 4,000 passing yards.

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Basically, the Bucs need to give Alterraun Verner some help, because while the big-name 2014 free agent signing is a talented corner, the Bucs simply don’t have anything else in the secondary. Dashon Goldson is not a real free safety, and he’s played so poorly that he’s in a position to become a cap casualty.

You know how there are “dream” free agent signings? Well, there are also “pipe dream” free agents, there’s no doubt in my mind that New England Patriots free safety Devin McCourty would be the absolute perfect signing for the Bucs in free agency if the Patriots somehow weren’t able to keep him around.

Contract negotiations with Darrelle Revis will dictate how much cap space the Patriots have to keep their other players, and they have some notable free agents like Akeem Ayers, Dan Connolly, Shane Vereen, Stevan Ridley, Stephen Gostkowski, and, of course, McCourty. While someone like Vereen will almost inevitably depart this offseason, it’s extremely difficult to see an important star like McCourty leaving.

Not only is it possible for Revis to take less money in order to stay with a Super Bowl-winning team that suits him perfectly, but there’s also the fact that McCourty is the second-most important player on the Patriots defense with his ability to steal away the deep ball from opposing teams. Want to know how good he is at snuffing out big plays with his speed and instincts in coverage? Well, just ask Andrew Luck and T.Y. Hilton, who were stymied on two separate occasions in 2014-15 by the star FS.

If it comes down to it, the Patriots will almost certainly use the franchise tag on McCourty, who is arguably the game’s second-best safety behind Earl Thomas and is a sure-fire tackler, which is more than what I can say for Goldson and the rest of the Buccaneers anemic, undisciplined defense.

I mean, it’s just about impossible to see the Buccaneers getting into a position where they can realistically sign McCourty, but if the Patriots surprise us all by prioritizing Revis to the point where they can no longer afford D-Mac, who is a clear locker room glue guy and a do-it-all talent on the field that Bill Belichick values, then the Bucs have to take full advantage by pouncing.

Even though McCourty will cost a boatload of money as a 27-year-old with no glaring weaknesses in his game, it’s money the Buccaneers can afford and should feel prepared to throw at him. He’s one of those free agents that would have very little chance of busting, since he has no real injury history, doesn’t get burned, doesn’t miss tackles, and is one of the smartest players in the game. Considering he once played corner, he can excel in any kind of cover scheme.

Lovie Smith is intent on running the Tampa 2, and that’s one of the reasons for the Revis-Verner swap (the most important reason, of course, was money). In a Tampa 2, you need a true coverage safety at FS who can come up and make tackles when needed, and you need more balance in the secondary than just one good player (Verner). It would make McCourty a no-brainer for the Bucs to at least pursue if they have a shot at getting in the negotiation room with him.

Sep 14, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; New England Patriots safety Devin McCourty (32) returns an interception during the first quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at TCF Bank Stadium. at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the cap space, organizational interest, and lack of pressing impending free agents to end up being active players in free agency for a second straight season.

There are possible top options scattered in free agency, and while signing an OL is a priority (by the way, I don’t think you want a liability in pass pro like Mike Iupati, no matter how good he is at run blocking), they seriously need to take a look at that defense.

Their rookie QB will need a strong OL to give him time to hit up the likes of Mike Evans, Vincent Jackson, and potential breakout TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins, but he’ll also need the support of a legit defense. The Buccaneers defense was clearly short on both talent and consistency last season, and that is a troubling combination.

On the other hand, Devin McCourty is both talented and consistent, since he missed just six tackles last season (including the postseason) and allowed just 193 passing yards into his coverage, per Pro Football Focus.

There’s just a 1% chance of the Patriots letting him see the light of free agency, but if the extremely unlikely happens, the Buccaneers need to be one of the double-digit list of teams to throw serious money at him.

Next: Who were the Buccaneers biggest bright spots?

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