Getty Buccaneers huddle during a 2021 game.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers recently made a couple of moves on the offensive line, which could be in flux when the new NFL year begins in March.
The Bucs officially signed tackle Brandon Walton with a futures contract on Wednesday, February 16. A futures contract means that the player is on the active roster, and a league-minimum contract of $705,000 takes effect when the new league starts according to Bleacher Report. The Bucs signed 10 other players to futures contracts in January.
Walton, a 6-foot-5, 300-pound lineman, joined the Bucs in 2021 after the Pittsburgh Steelers waived him. The Tampa area native spent the season on the Bucs’ practice squad.
Tampa Bay also waived center Donell Stanley on February 16 according to Greg Auman of The Athletic. Stanley got injured in the preseason and never returned from injured reserve in 2021. Stanley had a one-year contract worth $600,000.
Bucs have released center Donell Stanley, who spent the past season on injured reserve after he got hurt in preseason. Also signed tackle Brandon Walton, as we first reported Tuesday.
The Bucs have lots of work ahead with the offensive line as two starters and two backups could become unrestricted free agents in March. Starting center Ryan Jensen could go for a market value of $10 million according to Spot Trac, and starting guard Alex Cappa could command $10.7 million per Spot Trac. The Bucs also have backup guard Aaron Stinnie and tackle Josh Wells set to hit the open market in March.
Jensen, Cappa in Demand
Tampa Bay boasted the second-ranked offensive line by Pro Football Focus in 2021, and plucking one or two linemen such from that unit would appeal to many teams.
Most recently, the Cincinnati Bengals showed a glaring need for quality linemen during the Super Bowl on Sunday, February 13. The Bengals also have $48.77 million in salary-cap space, according to Spot Trac, to work with, which means the AFC Champions could afford to lure Jensen and Cappa.
GettyBuccaneers offensive linemen (left-right) Alex Cappa and Ryan Jensen are set to become free agents next month.
Jensen could also get pursued by other teams in need of a center such as Carolina, Chicago, Jacksonville, and Miami according to Pro Football Network. Chicago and Miami both have two of the better salary cap situations in the league, too.
Keeping Jensen in Tampa Bay will play a critical role in the Bucs’ success in 2022. The Bucs only have second-year center Robert Hainsey, who played sparingly in 2021, which means the team will likely need to bring in another veteran center.
As for Cappa, the New York Giants need a guard and could pursue him for the right price according to The Athletic’s Dan Duggan. The San Francisco 49ers likewise could use a boost such as Cappa to the offensive line according to The Athletic’s David Lombardi and Matt Barrows.
If the Bucs can’t keep Cappa, the team could re-sign his backup, Stinnie, for continuity.
Road to Bucs Clearing Cap Space
Overall, the Bucs have $3 million in salary cap space, according to Over the Cap, to re-sign as many of the team’s 26 free agents as possible. That includes the cap hit of retired quarterback Tom Brady’s contract.
The Bucs could create up to $67.8 million in restructuring contracts according to Over the Cap’s Nick Korte. Auman highlighted Korte’s chart in an article on the Bucs’ salary cap situation for The Athletic. Auman noted that the Bucs realistically won’t clear that much but sees potential for $45 million.
Just quickly created a page for OTC that tallies up the restructure potential for all teams: how much in cap dollars in this upcoming offseason they could gain by converting money into signing bonuses.
Defensive stars Shaquil Barrett and Vita Vea, who both signed large deals in the past year, are prime candidates for restructuring contracts, Auman wrote. Such moves could help keep the Bucs’ second-ranked offensive line intact for another season and keep other star players such as wide receiver Chris Godwin around for 2022 as Auman noted.