The Buccaneers have signed 10 players since free agency opened last week and one of the men overseeing the overhaul of the roster says that they don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.
Coach Lovie Smith compared this portion of free agency to the final minutes of a game when asked if Buccaneers fans should expect more new arrivals in the near future.
“They should,” Smith said in an interview with the team’s website. “We feel we’re in the fourth quarter now, but it’s all about how you finish and hopefully we can bring in a couple more.”
Cornerback and wide receiver appear to be two spots where the Bucs are trying to add more depth. Cornerback Mike Jenkins and wide receiver Louis Murphy have both visited with the team recently, but neither one has signed. Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune reports “there’s a chance” that wide receiver Earl Bennett could get in the mix after being released by the Bears. Bennett played for Smith in Chicago in his first five NFL seasons.
Even if the Bucs stand pat from here, they’ve used free agency to churn through a significant chunk of the roster in the blink of an eye. Any stamp Greg Schiano put on this team will be hard to find come next season.