The Tampa Bay Buccaneers traded for Pro Bowl guard Logan Mankins in order to solidify its offensive line. It looked like a good move but, after Mankins suffered a knee injury during the first half of the first game of the season, the Bucs offensive line could once again be in flux.
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From Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com:
"If Mankins is out for an extended period, the Bucs, once again, will find themselves in big trouble at guard. They could be back in the market for Richie Incognito, who visited with the team several weeks ago."
Tampa Bay reportedly registered interest in Incognito before trading for Mankins, but opted to make a move for the guy who (1) is better and (2) was never involved in an egregious, locker room crumbling scandal.
Now, however, they may opt to revisit Incognito if tests show Mankins will be out for an extended period of time.
Good news for Bucs fans, the team doesn’t think the injury is too serious.
#Buccaneers OG Logan Mankins hyperextended his knee, per a league source. Team doesn't think the injury is serious.
— Rand Getlin (@RandGetlin) September 7, 2014
The Buccaneers figured to be a team on the rise this season, hence why they made the trade for the veteran guard in the first place. But Tampa Bay looked out of sorts in a loss to the Cam Newton-less Carolina Panthers in Week 1. It’s important for the Bucs not to panic, though. After all, it is just one game. But the real problem was the play of Josh McCown, and don’t blame that on the offensive line.
If the Bucs don’t make a move, the team has ONeil Cousins and Rishaw Johnson as backup guards.