Word broke on Tuesday that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were going hard after free agent LT Doug Free, but sadly they appear to have missed out. From Adam Schefter, ESPN:
Dallas reached agreement on a four-year, $32 million deal that included $17 million in guaranteed money with OT Doug Free.
The Bucs have plenty of salary room — in fact, they need to spend something close to $50 million in order to reach the cap floor — so there has been much speculation that they could make a splash in the free agent pool. They have an opening at right tackle, so Doug Free would have been a good fit for them, but they’re going to have to search for an upgrade from elsewhere now.
For what it’s worth, I still expect the Bucs to take a gamble on adding an impact player or two via free agency. They have to spend the money, and Mark Dominik has made it clear that he doesn’t intend to fill out the budget with replacement or backup players. They’ll sign someone; we’re just going to have to wait a bit to find out who.
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