FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

• Tampa Bay will get a bit of salary cap relief next year as some of the team’s most expensive players’ salaries dip in 2019. Wide receiver Mike Evans will make $20 million this year, but his salary drops to $16.75 million next year. Weakside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul has a $14.9 million salary this year, but it decreases to $12.5 million in 2019. Tight end Cameron Brate makes $7 million this year, but will only make $6 million next year.

Bucs director of football administration Mike Greenberg – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Those reductions in salary total $6.65 million and will give Bucs director of football administration Mike Greenberg and general manager Jason Licht a little bit more cap space to sign quarterback Jameis Winston and other pending free agents to contract extensions. Although the Bucs will have seven players making $10 million or more next year – just as they do this year – they only have 12 players making $2 million or more in 2020 as of right now. This year, Tampa Bay has 24 players making $2 million or more on its roster and that all adds up quickly.

• NFL Draft Bible maven Ric Serritella had a great quote about LSU inside linebacker Devin White from his Tigers teammate, cornerback Greedy Williams.

Greedy Williams on Devin White:

“Man, that’s a guy he comes with energy every day. He’ll be an outspoken leader on anybody’s team. He comes with high passion, he’ll bring chills through your body with the speeches he gives. I would say he’s one of those Ray Lewis type guys.’’

— Ric Serritella (@RicSerritella) March 27, 2019

White, who PewterReport.com first mocked to the Buccaneers back in January, has visited Tampa Bay as one of the team’s Top 30 pre-draft visits. In addition to his speed and playmaking abilities, White possesses alpha male leadership qualities that also appeal to the Bucs.

To find out who else has visited Tampa Bay or plans to visit the Bucs, be sure to click here for PewterReport.com’s Updated Draft Prospects The Bucs Are Targeting tracker.

• The @PewterReport Twitter account continues to grow in popularity and is almost at 32,000 followers. Thank you to those Bucs fans that recently followed us!

If you aren’t following PewterReport.com on Twitter please do so right now so you don’t miss out on Bucs press conference and interview footage as well as breaking news and injury updates. Bucs OTAs begin next month and there will be a pre-draft Bucs mini-camp. Don’t miss out on the action – follow us today!

To follow @PewterReport on Twitter please click here. To follow us on Facebook please click here. And to follow @PewterReport on Instagram and you can do so by clicking here.

• The Pewter Reporters recently did a PR Roundtable on which two former Buccaneers deserved to be in the team’s Bucs Ring of Honor. Tampa Bay will make an announcement soon and this year’s inductee is expected to be cornerback Ronde Barber this year, which would be the most appropriate pick of the obvious candidates, which include linebacker Hardy Nickerson and defensive end Simeon Rice.

Bucs DT Gerald McCoy – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

With rumors swirling about defensive tackle Gerald McCoy’s possible departure this offseason, there has been a big debate about whether or not McCoy is a worthy candidate to be inducted into the Bucs Ring of Honor. With six Pro Bowls, McCoy is one of the most decorated players in Tampa Bay history, in addition to being the team’s Man of the Year before for his work in the community. If legendary left tackle Paul Gruber, who was never voted to the Pro Bowl, is in the Bucs Ring of Honor, then McCoy deserves to be in.

However, there will be one big asterisk about McCoy’s future induction. He will be the only Tampa Bay player not to have made it to the playoffs as a Buccaneer. Every other player and coach in the Bucs Ring of Honor has been on a playoff team in Tampa Bay. The only way McCoy can remove that asterisk is if he remains with the Bucs for a 10th season in 2019 and Tampa Bay ends a decade-long playoff drought this year.

• PewterReport.com’s famous and popular Bucs Draft Previews + Bucs’ Best Bets series begins next week. Here is the lineup so you can schedule your reading time accordingly, Bucs fans.

Tuesday, April 9: QBs
Wednesday, April 10: RBs
Thursday, April 11: WRs
Friday, April 12: TEs 
Saturday, April 13: OTs
Sunday, April 14:  G/Cs
Monday, April 15: DEs
Tuesday, April 16: DTs
Wednesday, April 17: OLBs
Thursday, April 18: ILBs
Friday, April 19: CBs
Saturday, April 20: SS

Later next week will also see the publication of PewterReport.com’s 2019 Bucs’ 7-Round Mock Draft 4.0, too! Stay tuned.

• The PR team is back with a new Pewter Nation Podcast, which is presented by Westshore Financial. This week’s edition was recorded on Wednesday and really dives into the upcoming Bucs draft. Plus, Mark Cook reads a critical comment about his constant interruptions and repeated failed attempt a comedy. Don’t miss this one. Click here to listen to Pewter Nation Podcast Episode 115: Lack Of Communication.

If you missed our previous Pewter Nation Podcast be sure to catch up on that one this weekend. Cook interviewed Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht, co-chairman Joel Glazer and head coach Bruce Arians and offered up his thoughts on those sessions and a lot more with Taylor Jenkins, Matt Matera and yours truly in Pewter Nation Podcast Episode 114: Bucs Scoop From The Desert.

There is no better time to listen to a new Pewter Nation Podcast than on your drive home from work on Friday or running around doing errands or at the gym on Saturday. The next Pewter Nation Podcast will be taped during the middle of next week as Bucs free agency continues.

The popularity of the Pewter Nation Podcast continues to grow. In addition to listening to the Pewter Nation Podcasts on PewterReport.com you can also subscribe to the free podcasts at PodBean by clicking here and on SoundCloud by clicking here. And of course the Pewter Nation Podcast is also available on iTunes. Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode.

• The Pro Football Focus Twitter page that focuses on the Buccaneers had some really good stats this week. I take PFF with a grain of salt because some of their grades and metrics are subjective to a degree, but I found these to be quite interesting.

#Bucs RB Peyton Barber yards per carry by run concept:

Inside Zone – 3.9 (77 att)
Outside Zone – 3.5 (49 att)
Man – 4.3 (39 att)
Pull Lead – 2.0 (26 att)
Power – 4.6 (18 att)
Counter – 4.3 (12 att)
Draw – 4.0 (12 att) https://t.co/Oi3YyGlQae

— PFF TB Buccaneers (@PFF_Buccaneers) April 3, 2019

#Bucs CB Vernon Hargreaves in 2017:

No press coverage – 197 snaps, 75 out of 78 CB in coverage grade

In press coverage – 276 snaps, 26 out of 109 CB in coverage grade https://t.co/8LbNsTLNOH

— PFF TB Buccaneers (@PFF_Buccaneers) April 2, 2019

Hargreaves in 2017:

SLOT
70 of 92 snaps were in press coverage, 7 of 55 CB in coverage grade when in press

OUTSIDE
201 of 342 snaps were in press coverage, 39 of 82 CB in coverage grade when in press https://t.co/1CCfAUWnmG

— PFF TB Buccaneers (@PFF_Buccaneers) April 2, 2019

These tweets show that the Bucs’ offensive line did Peyton Barber no favors when pulling and when running outside zone plays. It’s also interesting to note how much more effective cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III was in press coverage than he was in off coverage. Hargreaves discussed his excitement to getting back to doing what he was originally drafted for in the first round – playing press coverage – in Todd Bowles’ attacking defensive scheme.

• And finally, we are proud to announce a new exclusive partnership as Westshore Financial has become the presenting sponsor of the Pewter Nation Podcasts and the official financial partners of PewterReport.com. I’ve been a client of Westshore Financial for years before they became an advertising partner, and I wholeheartedly endorse the Westshore Financial team of Chris Garrido and Trip Higgingbotham.

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Whether it is life insurance, wealth management or retirement strategies, Westshore Financial’s team of Chris and Trip help you plan for your future and protect your family’s finances today. Higginbotham is a Certified Financial Planner with more than 20 years’ experience. Garrido is a Tampa native, and a 15-year friend mine.

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