Bucs aim to capitalize on waiver claim status Rick Stroud, Times Staff Writer 
Jason Licht announced as the fifth general manager in franchise history at One Buccanneer Place in Tampa on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2014. WILL VRAGOVIC | TimesTAMPAAs painful as a 2-14 season can be, it has its rewards. The most obvious one is owning the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.That means the Bucs can select a potential franchise quarterback, either Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota.Less publicized, but also an effective tool, is that Tampa Bay will have the first waiver claim until after Week 3 of the regular season, when the order is determined by won-loss record."It's a huge deal," GM Jason Licht said. "Bigger than people realize."It means the Bucs will have their choice of any player released by the other 31 teams and subject to waivers (players with less than four years accrued service) until the end of September.It helps that Licht and Jon Robinson, director of player personnel, have extensive backgrounds as scouts and talent evaluators.What kind of player can you find with a waiver claim? A year ago, the team — holding the seventh spot in the draft and waiver claim to start the year — nabbed DE Jacquies Smith from the Bills.Smith, 24, slowly emerged as the team's best outside pass rusher and finished second on the team with 6½ sacks in only seven games started. In 2013, S Bradley McDougald (who became a starter last season), RB Bobby Rainey (who led the team in rushing with 532 yards and five touchdowns) and G Patrick Omameh (who started 16 games in 2014) were all waiver claims.A year ago, the Texans added three players through waiver claims with the No. 1 position — slot WR Damaris Johnson (31 catches, 331 yards, one TD), DB Darryl Morris (31 tackles, one INT) and OT Jeff Adams, who eventually landed on the practice squad.Nothing trumps draft order for restoring competitive balance. But when you consider at least 1,147 players will be released between the start of training camp and the regular season — many of them subject to waivers —that's a lot of talent from which to find a few diamonds in the rough.
