Pewter Report has discussed the Bucs’ biggest positional needs and free agency throughout the week on the Pewter Report Podcast – and for good reason. Tampa Bay has some glaring holes on defense – ones that cannot be masked up any longer.
That’s not to say that general manager Jason Licht and the front office have not hit on some recent defensive draft picks. Cornerback Zyon McCollum, defensive tackle Calijah Kancey, and outside linebacker Yaya Diaby all look to be the long-term core of the future, with defensive back Tykee Smith also in the conversation. Still, they need help. Preferably, a free agency splash to add some veteran star power.
Adding An Outside Linebacker Should Be Biggest Free Agent Priority
Eagles OLB Josh Sweat – Photo by: USA Today
That’s the big conversation right now.
With the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine next week, our focus will soon shift to the prospects who measure and test well. Not too far after that though, the free agency window opens up on March 12th. The Bucs will have some work to retain their own free agents, including wide receiver Chris Godwin and inside linebacker Lavonte David if he does not retire.
Jason Licht and the rest of the front office will also need to pick up the phone and call various agents who represent the best free agents on the market, especially with an increased salary cap that creates ample wiggle room to make a splash. Assessing who will be available, the conversation should start with adding an outside linebacker.
As I mentioned in our Pewter Report Roundtable earlier this week, Josh Sweat should be at the top of the list. Sweat, who turns 28 years old in late March, is just entering his prime and is coming off the biggest game of his career. He consistently generates pressure, has recorded six or more sacks in five straight seasons, and is extremely durable. There is a lot of upside to adding someone of Sweat’s caliber, and he would immediately become the team’s best pass-rusher. Playing opposite Yaya Diaby and next to defensive tackles Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey upfront will put him in a very similar situation to the one he had with the Eagles.
Philadelphia’s stout defensive front created a lot of issues for Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LIX, and Sweat would have some above-average defensive talent around him in the trenches. The one potential downside is how much he might get paid if recency bias elevates his contract. Currently projected for a three-year, $50.25 million deal that would be $16.75 million per year, he might break the $20 million per year threshold on the open market with teams engaging in a bidding war for his services.
Chargers OLB Khalil Mack – Photo by: USA Today
Sweat is not the only free-agent option, though.
Khalil Mack may be turning 34 years old later this week and nearing the end of a decade-plus run as one of this generation’s best pass-rushers, but don’t let that fool you. The born-and-raised Florida product remains a dangerous threat for opposing offenses to gameplan against. Mack had just six sacks in 2024 but still graded as the NFL’s fifth-best outside linebacker per Pro Football Focus (PFF). That is a credit to his savviness and mastery of the position.
Mack always has a sack attack in his bag, but he is also a plus-run defender, bats passes down, and can knock the ball loose. He would be paid a big salary to take down the quarterback, but as recently as 2023 he had 17 sacks, including six sacks in one game.
Signing him would add leadership, an established talent, and a mentor for the younger guys like Diaby to learn from. It would be more of a band-aid move on a one-year deal around $22 million, but right now, the defense will take what it can get when it comes to improving next season.
What About Adding Another Inside Linebacker?
Looking at other positions where the Bucs could make a splash, next on the agenda is getting more production out of the inside linebacker position. If David re-signs for another year, it does not make the situation as dire as it would be if he retired, but the 35-year-old should not be relied on to carry all the responsibilities like he has since being drafted in 2012. Instead, adding another promising inside linebacker on the market to pair him with and having SirVocea Dennis waiting in the wings would surely ease the nerves of head coach Todd Bowles.
While Zack Baun would be the ultimate free-agent signing, early indications appear that he will likely re-sign with the Eagles, the team that took a chance on him switching positions and becoming an All-Pro. If not, Baun would break the bank, with a starting cost of about $16 million per year. It would be worth making that type of move, but with it not looking like the most realistic possibility, who are other options?
ILB Jamien Sherwood – Photo by: USA Today
Ernest Jones and Jamien Sherwood are intriguing names to throw in the ring. Jones was traded twice last season, first from the Rams to the Titans before they moved him to the Seahawks. He has four highly productive seasons and just 25 years old. Jones profiles more as someone to fit the K.J. Britt role as a thumper without being the kind of liability Britt was in pass coverage. He’s expected to command a four-year deal nearing $15 million annually.
Sherwood is a converted defensive back who flew under the radar with the Jets behind C.J. Mosley. With Mosley playing just four games this year, Sherwood exploded onto the scene. He recorded 158 total tackles, had ten tackles for a loss, and had two sacks. At 6-foot-2, 216 pounds, he would fit David’s role as more of a pass coverage linebacker, especially with his background. Also a Florida native, Sherwood would be a cheaper addition than Jones with a new contract projected to be worth three years for $33 million.
Lastly, there is Dre Greenlaw.
If Greenlaw entered free agency not coming off a torn Achilles, he would get a similar deal to Baun. Instead, with that injury putting a damper on his potential earnings, he is the perfect low-risk, high-reward kind of signing. He returned in Week 15 last season and played well in limited action. It is not out of the realm of possibility he bounces back near his previous level of play, where he was a top-10 linebacker who paired well with All-Pro Fred Warner. Jason Licht would not have to back up the Brinks truck for him, with a deal expected to be a one-year, prove-it deal worth about $6 million with incentives worked in.
The Bucs Cannot Neglect An Inexperienced, Underwhelming Cornerback Room
Third on the list of areas where the Bucs should look to make a splash is at cornerback. Zyon McCollum stepped up in a big way from 2023 to prove that he is a promising starting-caliber cornerback with plenty of upside. After McCollum, things do not appear as promising.
Jamel Dean remains under contract for now, but with injuries and a lack of big plays affecting his standing, he could be traded or released this offseason to save cap space. Additions are needed with just Tyrek Funderburk and Josh Hayes rounding out the depth chart. Todd Bowles preaches communication, and in the secondary, it is paramount in his scheme that his players do so and have a high football intelligence. That suggests a veteran would hit the ground running more than a rookie draft pick, but they could (and likely will) add both.
49ers CB Charvarius Ward – Photo by: USA Today
At the top of free agency, Jason Licht should start his search by targeting Byron Murphy and Charvarius Ward.
Murphy is coming off a Pro Bowl year with the Vikings, recording a career-high six interceptions. It speaks to the difference a ball-hawking secondary makes, as that was just a fourth of Minnesota’s interception total. Tampa Bay had just seven interceptions all season, three from the cornerback position. There are some question marks about his consistent coverage ability, as he allowed a 70.6% completion percentage.
The hope would be that he thrives in Bowles’ zone-heavy scheme and with a healthy Antoine Winfield Jr. behind him, he can take more chances to make game-changing plays. A deal for him would cost about $18 million annually for four years.
Ward has the chance to be a steal in free agency. Coming off a down year where he dealt with personal tragedy, he did not play up to the level he did in the previous two seasons when PFF graded him as a top-10 cornerback. His best season came in 2023 when he led the league with 23 passes defended and also had five interceptions. He is a lot stickier in coverage than Murphy, with one also expecting him to look more like that kind of a player after a full offseason. Signing him appears to be a bargain with a deal projected at two years for $30 million.
While adding one of these players would bolster the Bucs’ defense, there is a scenario where Jason Licht could add one notable outside addition at outside linebacker, inside linebacker, and cornerback. With this many options in free agency, Licht has no excuses to not make at least one splash and capitalize on the team’s playoff contention window.
– Pewter Report’s Josh Queipo contributed to this article with free agency contract projections.
