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Bucs Sign DE Wilkerson

By: Scott Reynolds

March 1, 2008 @ 11:26am

Jimmy Wilkerson can play DE and DT for Tampa Bay (Getty Images)

Jimmy Wilkerson can play DE and DT for Tampa Bay (Getty Images)

A day after signing Jeff Faine, PewterReport.com is reporting the Buccaneers signed their second free agent this offseason, inking ex-Kansas City DE Jimmy Wilkerson. Wilkerson signed a two-year deal, according to his agent, Joby Branion. The 6-foot-2, 290-pounder is known as a run stuffer with the flexibility to play under tackle.


 

PewterReport.com is reporting that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed defensive end Jimmy Wilkerson to a 2-year deal, according to his agent, Joby Branion.

The Bucs like the fact that Wilkerson has good size to play the run at 6-foot-2, 290 pounds, and he’s versatile. He has experience playing both defensive end positions as well as the under tackle spot.

Wilkerson has produced 94 tackles and just one sack in his five seasons in the NFL. Last year, Wilkerson had two of his five career starts and finished the season with 23 tackles and half a sack.

Wilkerson is not a great pass rusher, evidenced by his one career sack in five years in the NFL, but he does possess good quickness. Tampa Bay defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin has traditionally had a player or two on the roster that has great position flexibility to play inside at tackle and outside at end. In the 1990s it was Tyoka Jackson. In the early 2000s it was Ellis Wyms. Over the last two years it has been Dewayne White and Kevin Carter.

The Buccaneers now have six defensive ends on their 2008 roster, including Wilkerson, Gaines Adams, Greg White, Patrick Chukwurah, Charles Bennett and Marquies Gunn. The addition of Wilkerson could mean that the Buccaneers may not re-sign Carter, who was released on Thursday along with veteran Greg Spires.

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Comments

pkeyes73

Wow our signings are so insignificant that they are not even posted on NFL.COM. Way to let all the good free agents slip through our fingers Bruce. I like the center pick up, but making him the highest paid center in the league??? I would rather take my chances with Buenning a Lehr and pick up Justin Smith or Odom. I was really looking forward to Tampa making a strong push to majorly upgrade our roster. But they blew it. The fact that they are not willing to let go of Derrick Brooks to pick up Lance Briggs says it all. I love Derrick but it is time to move on, BUT IT WAS OK TO FEED LINCH AND SAPP TO THE WOLVES WHEN THEY STILL HAD GOOD YEARS BEHIND THEM? Brooks has clearly lost a step. He should retire with Sapp. Majorly dissapointed in our management here!

3:52pm, March 1, 2008

mkurbo

Unreal ! There was one major assignment - sign a star DE & DT to upgrade the pass rush and the Bucs have failed...

5:48pm, March 1, 2008

bigice

you people need to stop whining, we now have probably the most talented young O-Line in the game, and free-agency is not over yet. More will be revealed, and we still have plenty of money.

12:53am, March 2, 2008

pinkstob

My initial reaction was "WHO?", but as I thought about it there's nothing wrong with picking up a younger, cheaper version of K. Carter. It looks like this guy won't even produce the 3 sacks Carter did last year, but he should match Carter's ability to stop the run. Hopefully this means more time for G. Adams and G. White in passing situations.

As for other FA pass rushers, who was available that was much better than our guys? J. Smith has never had more than 9 sacks in a season and G. White had 8 in reserve duty last year. We can just play White more and save a few jillion dollars in cap space. The same goes for Odom.

The next step in upgrading the D-line pass rush should come on the interior; either from signing R. Coleman when is price drops or getting Dre Moore or Trevor Laws in the draft.

9:22am, March 2, 2008

Horse

Free Agency is suppose to help fill back up positions, get younger, and maybe get a starter out of it. I think we are right on track. I think we have done a good job. We have and are spending millions. At the same time we are not wasting millions on players that might have already performed their best or their best was because of the other talented players arou,nd them.
I believe we are setting ourselves up to actually draft the best player available regardless of position.

10:49am, March 2, 2008

rwg8823

unreal hey bruce i need help let me know which one of these players is a tiger woods type player maybe were all blind.we get all excited thinking are bucs are going to be big players in free agency and now espn is reporting were one of the biggest losers in free agency.i agree,i think all those vists set up were to make us the fans happy.whats amazing is pewterreport has been reporting for 2 months the players we might target boy someone at one buc place must have lead you wrong scott cause they havent even sniffed at any of those players,hey bruce if you think that briggs,smith,fanaca,samuels,florance,crumpler,coleman,
moss etc.wouldnt help this team then i question your football knowledge. then again based off your past comment you think wilkerson and jeff faine are tiger woods type player! well you must! its a sad day! if garcia or joey go down you want get this chance next year cause you will get fired after our 4-12 season!

10:54am, March 2, 2008

DLS5492

I agree with you Horse. The Bucs are on the right track and they are NOT OVER SPENDING. The over spending by Mckay was whant got the Bucs in trouble in the first place. I guess some Buc "fans" want to go back to those days. The bucs especialyy wise not to over spend for a player past his prime or injured.

12:55pm, March 2, 2008

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