It looks like defensive tackle Roy Miller will be hitting the open market.
Stephen Holder of the Tampa Bay Times reports that contract talks between Miller and the Buccaneers found the teams sufficiently far apart that they have decided to table further conversations. That means Miller will become a free agent on March 12 and his agent’s thoughts on that don’t make it seem like Miller considers a return to the Bucs to be in the cards.
“Roy is excited to see what’s out there for him in free agency,” said his agent, Mike McCartney. “He has a lot to offer after an excellent season, helping a team that was last against the run (in 2011) go to No. 1 against the run last season.”
Gerald McCoy gave Miller’s ability to occupy blockers and space in the middle of the defensive line a lot of credit for helping him make the Pro Bowl, but Miller’s a two-down player and there’s going to be a limit to how much a team will spend on such a player.
If Miller does wind up leaving town, it will leave the Bucs with a need for another tackle to replace him on the nose. Gary Gibson is a career backup and one imagines the Bucs aren’t looking to lose too much from that top-ranked run defense.