One of the reasons the Buccaneers have a lot of work to do this offseason is that their roster wasn’t built with the current coaching staff in mind.
That’s the word from Bucs coach Lovie Smith, who told the Tampa Tribune that the roster he inherited doesn’t necessarily match his defense or coordinator Jeff Tedford’s offense.
“We have systems that we want to run and this roster wasn’t set up with our systems in mind,” Smith said. “Not that it’s going to be that different, but we have some changes we have to make.”
The biggest question is whether Mike Glennon, who ended last season as the starting quarterback, is a fit for what Smith and Tedford want. Smith said Glennon hasn’t proven yet that he’s a franchise quarterback, and that means the Bucs are on the lookout for a veteran to sign.
“To say right now that Mike is the answer and he’s our quarterback of the future and we’re going to build around him and give him a 20-year contract, we’re not there,” Smith said. “I like him as one of our quarterbacks right now, but we’re going to have at least four in camp and at least one [veteran] will be in the mix. And then you just let it all play out.”
Smith’s comments suggest that the Bucs will have to be big players when free agency starts tomorrow.