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Eric Wright Suspension Could Force Ronde Barber Back To Safety

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers penciled in free agent acquisition Eric Wright as one of their starting cornerbacks for the 2012 season. His arrest this week on felony suspicion of driving under the influence in Los Angeles could force Tampa head coach Greg Schiano to alter his plans, should Wright face a suspension. The Tampa Tribune reports that Ronde Barber could move back to corner if Wright is suspended.

Barber, 37, moved to safety this spring to help shore up the position for the Bucs. Barber's knack for the ball and declining skills at corner made it a natural move. If Wright is out for an extended period of time, Cody Grimm could take Barber's place next to rookie Mark Barron in the safety pairing.

Though to some it may read like a minor inconvenience, the player shuffling could be detrimental to the Bucs in the early season with matchups against Carolina, Dallas, Washington and the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants.

Tampa's other cornerback, Aqib Talib, is not out of the woods with the league yet either. A Texas judge dismissed his assault case in June, but he could still face league discipline.

For more on Eric Wright and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, visit SB Nation's Buccaneers blog Bucs Nation.

Photographs by cstreet.us, thelastminute, turtlemom nancy , fesek, kthypryn, justinwright, sue_elias, pointnshoot, and scrapstothefuture used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.