Tampa Bay Buccaneers free agency 2020: Top 5 targets

Trae Waynes

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers do have bigger issues other than cornerback, but after cutting former first-round pick Vernon Hargreaves in the middle of the season, there’s a clear need in the secondary. Carlton Davis and Sean Murphy-Bunting are their starting cornerbacks. That’s not an ideal situation in a division featuring matchups with Michael Thomas and Julio Jones twice a year.

Trae Waynes isn’t the best option overall. Honestly, there just really isn’t a great option outside of Byron Jones, but because of that scarcity, he’s going to break the bank. The Bucs shouldn’t break the bank on a position that’s not the top of their needs.

There are a lot of good, cheap veteran options out there, and Waynes might be one of them. He will be targeted by multiple teams, but nobody is going to pay him $10 million per season. If the Bucs can get away with giving him a three-year, $15 million deal, they should get on it. If he’s asking for more than that, they can look at the next veteran option.

Waynes is an intriguing option because of his age. He is just 27 years old. He hasn’t necessarily lived up to the 11th overall pick he was taken with back in 2015. He’s been fine, but nothing really special like we expected. Maybe he can find some of that magic he had during his time at Michigan State, but it’s more than likely the Bucs are going to get what they pay for: a serviceable corner that will help a unit that needs an upgrade.