Bucs Bring Back Gholston!

As we said back in January, the Bucs first priority going into the off-season was signing back DE/DT Will Gholston. Only 25 years old, Gholston is one of the top run defenders in the league and is improving as a pass rusher every year. Today, the Bucs got their guy back as they have signed him to a new 5 year deal per Adam Caplan.

Gholston terms with #Buccaneers: 5 years, max $37m, $13.5m fully gtd. He's 1 of the better run DEs in NFL. He was a big priority to re-sign.

— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) March 6, 2017

Both sides win here as it is a great deal for everyone involved and the Bucs get a key piece of their defense back for this season and beyond. The Bucs retain cap flexibility with this deal as they only give Gholston 13.5 million guaranteed which is important because if the Bucs decide to move on from Gholston they can without having a cap penalty. Gholston got good value as he will make about a little over 5 million per year which is a good number for his production per Mike Garafolo.

DE William Gholston's deal with the Buccaneers is worth $27.5m base value over five years, source says. Can earn another $9m in incentives.

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 6, 2017

This is great news for the Bucs front four as they can maintain their flexibility and depth as Gholston can play anywhere along the line and makes them very stout against the run. The Bucs now have four solid ends in Ayers, Spence, Gholston, and Smith which provides a solid rotation for the team. Hopefully Jay Hayes can continue to work his magic with Gholston and help him get better overall with his game. I think Gholston has the potential to be a 5 to 7 sack guy with 50 plus tackles per year which would be great if he can reach that.

Now what is next for the Bucs, I expect the team to re-sign more of their own. Look for Jacquizz Rodgers and Akeem Spence to be the next signings over the next few days along with Russell Shepard at some point as well. Now in regards to pending free agent Calais Campbell, who has been linked to the Bucs in various reports. I think the Bucs will still show interest but with Gholston back I don't see it as likely now but if they do get Calais then the Bucs would have maybe the best D-line in the NFL. Free agency starts Thursday, buckle up it's going to be a wild ride.

These Guys Are Going To Try To Fill The Jackson Void

by Douglas O'Connor
follow on Twitter @Ren_Daxt

     The Buccaneers announced that 12 year veteran, Vincent Jackson, has been moved to injured reserve with an ACL injury. Tampa has very little experienced depth at wide receiver but someone has to step up and try to fill Jackson's shoes. Below is a little background on the top 3 candidates that are going to give it a try.

The Vet
     Cecil Shorts III played in Jacksonville during his first 4 years in the league. After spending a year in Houston, Tampa signed Shorts to the 53 man roster on September 6th. Cecil was active for 2 games and had 1 catch before he pulled his hamstring and was inactive for the next 3 weeks. Shorts returned to practice couldn't come at a better time. He returned to practice the same day Jackson was placed on IR. Cecil has 219 rec for 2,839 yds and 14 tds for his career and has the most experience by far of any of the other receivers. See what he said about his progress HERE.

The Specialist
     Russell Shepard has been with the Bucs since 2013. A jack of all trades while at LSU, Shepard lined up at QB, RB, and WR. Unable to find a role thus far in the Buccaneers offense, 10 catches in 4 years. Shepard has made his mark as being a standout special teams player. Wide Receivers Coach Todd Monken told the media that filling Jackson role will be done by committee. Suggesting that Russell will get to see the field more. Watch Monken's press conference HERE.

The Speedster 
     Donteea Dye has bounced between the Buccaneers practice squad and the 53 man roster since the start of last season. Dye did manage to be active for 10 games last year and see enough of the field to record 11 catches. Dye's big contribution may come on kickoff returns. Where he can use his 4.3 speed most effectively.

    Give the staffers a follow @realbucstalk and as always thanks for reading. Go Bucs!

Competition at Slot WR Shows on Day 1

The Bucs have two star receivers in Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson whom both will be a big part of the offense this year. However, the bigger story is who will be the team's slot receiver as a fierce competition is brewing there and it showed today. The top two candidates are Adam Humphries and Kenny Bell whom both are entering their 2nd season. Humphries was one of the big surprises last year while Bell didn't play due to injury after shining all off-season. Well the competition might have just gotten tougher after today's performance by special teams ace Russell Shepard. Shepard hasn't been able to produce as a receiver, mostly making his impact on special teams but perhaps this year is the year that changes. Making big plays against Brent Grimes helps via JP Peterson.

Russell Shepard catches deep ball from Jameis beating Brent Grimes by a couple steps

— JP Peterson (@JPPetersonSprts) July 28, 2016

Again they are not in pads so until that happens we can't get too high on this but it is encouraging to see. Shepard is a guy I have always been high on as the physical tools are there, but it's about putting the mental side of the game together too. Today was a good start for him as he was making big plays consistently, but he is going to have to be consistent everyday if he truly wants to be a bigger part of the offense. Not to be out done, Kenny Bell made big plays today as well showing his speed and quickness like in this video via Greg Auman.

Video: Jameis Winston hits Kenny Bell on quick pass at #Bucs practice. pic.twitter.com/DinKr57ybe

— Greg Auman (@gregauman) July 28, 2016

Again same goes for Bell as needs to be consistent and prove he is capable of doing this in game situations. Then there is the current slot receiver Adam Humphries who is Mr. reliable and right now has the edge to win the position. Humphries has great hands and is very consistent in his route running as he shows here via pewterreport.com.

Winston to @adamhumphries13 #BucsCamp pic.twitter.com/XecGO0iT0T

— PewterReport.com (@PewterReport) July 28, 2016

This is only day one of camp but this slot receiver battle should be a fun one to watch as we inch closer to the start of the season.