The NFL offseason is upon us which means that teams all over football are looking at their rosters and deciding who they want to cut and where they need to find help. When it comes to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, one area the team could use an upgrade — or at the very least fortification — is at defensive end. The team has had no one to compliment Adrian Clayborn despite Tampa’s best efforts to jump start Da’Quan Bowers.
One name that is on the market that will no doubt draw elite attention, is Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy. ESPN.com blogger Pat Yasinkas doubts the Bucs will pursue Hardy, although it’s not out of the question.
"The Bucs are in decent cap shape (right now, they’re about $10 million under the projected cap), but that’s not nearly the type of cap space they had last year. Hardy would eat up virtually all the cap space and the Bucs have other important needs that need to be addressed.I do think the Bucs will add a defensive end in free agency or the draft, but I don’t see Hardy ending up with them."
Hardy will likely get a fat deal from either the Panthers or someone willing to overpay for him. That team could be the Bucs but it’s more likely that Lovie Smith builds through the draft or develops the talent already on roster.