Tampa Bay Buccaneers plan to meet with LB Bruce Carter
By Will Osgood
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are planning to host free agent LB Bruce Carter, in hopes of signing him.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys now run the same style of defense, after Dallas switched to a Tampa Two, 4-3 defense two seasons ago under “Tampa Two” inventor Monte Kiffin. Former Detroit Lions coach and defensive line aficionado Rod Marinelli coordinated that defense a season ago and the unit improved greatly.
Now one of the key members of that defense, outside linebacker Bruce Carter, could be moving from one Tampa Two defense to another. Carter is expected to visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, according to Pro Football Talk.
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The 6’3″, 235 pound Carter is a four-year veteran out of North Carolina (Chapel Hill). He was drafted in the second round (40th overall) in 2011.
As a rookie, Carter was primarily a special teams player before starting 11 games in 2012. He really took off in the 4-3 scheme, though, recording a career high 73 tackles in 2013, and registered his first two sacks of his professional career.
In 2014, Carter was even better, registering five back-breaking interceptions (which was third in the NFL) and even returned one for a touchdown. In short, he became a playmaker.
It is that kind of player the Buccaneers are hoping to acquire. As a linebacker he even knocked away 11 passes.
The Bucs’ defense is reliant on solid pass defense from its linebackers. Carter can clearly bring that attribute to the table, along with a great pass rush. It’s still trying to figure out the pass rush part, but if it can acquire Carter it will have met the pass coverage requirement.
Combining Carter with Lavonte David and Mason Foster, the Bucs might even have the best 4-3 linebacker corps in the league.
Of course the Bucs also hold in their hands the No. 1 pick on April 30–a pick many expect them to use on Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston, the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner.
The Bucs have long been known as a defensive-minded football team, and they likely will be for at least another few years with Carter. Improving the defense would allow them to ease Winston in to the mix and not to have win games from Day One in the NFL.
That is seemingly the goal in bringing in Carter with the hopes of signing him as a free agent. The other good news is that Carter doesn’t figure to kill the Bucs’ cap.
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