FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

• While it might be easy to connect the dots and link Tampa Bay to having interest in Tennessee free agent offensive tackle Jack Conklin because the Bucs have a need at right tackle, that won’t be happening. The Bucs already have invested $10 million or more into three offensive linemen – left tackle Donovan Smith ($14.5 million), left guard Ali Marpet ($11.025 million) and center Ryan Jensen ($10 million).

OT Jack Conklin – Photo by: Getty Images

With pressing needs elsewhere in free agency, such as re-signing several members of Tampa Bay’s defensive front and solving the quarterback position by re-signing Jameis Winston or signing a replacement, the Bucs just don’t have the cap room to allocate $15 million for Conklin, which is what he is expected to fetch in free agency.

The Bucs really liked Conklin coming out of Michigan State years ago in 2016. In fact, when Tennessee selected Conklin one spot ahead of Tampa Bay at No. 8, the Bucs then traded down a few spots to select cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III. Had Conklin been on the board at No. 9 the Bucs would have drafted him.

Conklin is a heck of a player, especially in run blocking, and the Bucs could use his talent. But given the much lower financial cost of going with a rookie, Tampa Bay is expected to draft an offensive tackle in the first three rounds to compete with 34-year old Demar Dotson, who could be re-signed for a bargain deal, instead. The Bucs could have Dotson back, draft an offensive tackle in the first round and probably have $5 million left overall, which could be used towards re-signing a defensive player for what it would cost to sign Conklin.

• Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston set an NFL record with seven pick-sixes last year, but only has 11 in his five-year NFL career. Although his very first NFL pass was intercepted by Tennessee and returned for a touchdown, Winston only had three other pick-sixes in his first four seasons before last year.

To put that in perspective, Drew Brees, the NFL’s all-time leading passer, has thrown 27 pick-sixes in his career, including three to the Buccaneers and Falcons, who are tied with two other teams for the most. That makes sense because Brees plays Tampa Bay and Atlanta twice a year in the NFC South division.

Saints QB Drew Brees – Photo by: Getty Images

Yet Brees has averaged 1.4 pick-sixes per year throughout his 19 years in the league, while Winston’s average increased to 2.2 following the 2019 campaign.

• One more note about Brees and the Buccaneers. He has compiled a record of 18-10 against Tampa Bay, completing 701-of-1,021 passes (68.66 percent) for 7,866 yards with 55 touchdowns and 27 interceptions while being sacked 35 times and fumbling eight times, losing two of those fumbles.

The only team Brees has beaten more than Tampa Bay is Atlanta, as he has a 19-10 record against the Falcons. Brees’ 55 touchdowns against the Bucs are the most he’s thrown against any NFL team, and one ahead of the number of TDs (54) he’s thrown versus the Falcons.

• BIG NEWS REGARDING THE PEWTER NATION PODCAST!
Before we get to the big news about the Pewter Nation Podcast, make sure you check out the latest episode, which was taped on Monday as the Pewter Report team discussed Jameis Winston’s LASIK surgery and the QB position in free agency. This one is really good – and has a surprise ending!

Pewter Nation Podcast Episode 181: Domino Effect Looming For Bucs And Winston

Mark Cook couldn’t attend the previous Pewter Nation Podcast, but yours truly was joined by Matt Matera and Taylor Jenkins to discuss the possibility of a David Johnson – Bruce Arians reunion in Tampa Bay, as well as suggest that the Bucs may look into trading tight end O.J. Howard during the offseason. This one went an hour, folks. Yes, it was that good. Click the link to listen to it, and you’ll hear why.

Pewter Nation Podcast Episode 180: Howard Trade Speculation, Johnson To Bucs Possibility

Now for the big news regarding the Pewter Nation Podcast. Yours truly and Taylor Jenkins will be joined by new Bucs beat writer Jon Ledyard live in Indianapolis at the NFL Scouting Combine where we will tape two brand new Pewter Nation Podcasts during the week.

The first will be recorded on the afternoon of Tuesday, February 25 following general manager Jason Licht and head coach Bruce Arians speaking to the media. The second will happen on Friday after the PR team interviews players and watches some of the on-field drills. Don’t miss our two new Pewter Nation Podcasts next week!

There is no better time to listen to a new Pewter Nation Podcast, which is presented by Chris Garrido of Westshore Financial, than on your drive home from work on Friday or early Saturday morning at the gym or running errands.

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.

• ESPN’s Jenna Laine floated an idea the Bucs are supposedly entertaining regarding quarterback Jameis Winston, which is a two-year deal worth roughly $27 million for the first year, which is guaranteed, followed by a second year, which is a team option.

The Bucs have also entertained the idea of a two-year deal with the first year guaranteed and the second year being a team option for Jameis Winston, per sources. The first year would be roughly the same as the franchise tag $27 million. https://t.co/vZ5U9abWCi

— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) February 20, 2020

My sources tell me that is not true, so I just wanted to put that out there. That deal just didn’t sound right, which made me question it.

I’m not coming down on Laine at all. She has an obligation to report what she knows, and she wouldn’t have reported it if she didn’t think it was credible. I know Laine and she’s a good reporter. I’ve been wrong plenty of times over the past two decades.

Bucs QB Jameis Winston and GM Jason Licht – Photo by: Bucs

The truth is that the next two months will be full of misinformation on a local and a national level regarding the Bucs and the other 31 NFL teams during free agency and leading up to the NFL Draft. Agents and NFL teams use media members to get information out that would help their respective causes.

PewterReport.com has unknowingly been used before by both the Bucs and agents in the past, and there’s nothing to safeguard us from that happening again other than our own gut instinct and asking the question of ourselves: “Is this credible, or is it B.S.?”

I’ve been doing this for 25 years now, and I have a pretty good feel about how to read the folks at One Buccaneer Place. That’s why PewterReport.com ends up getting so many Bucs draft picks right each April from our mock drafts and Bucs’ Best Bets from our draft previews.

Yet my honed instincts won’t automatically make me immune to occasionally being used by the team. I’ve developed a pretty good B.S. detector over the years, and I don’t report everything I hear or am told because of that. At the same time, there have been instances where I have been told the truth by the team or an agent, yet didn’t believe it and thus didn’t report, either.

So I’ve worked against myself in that capacity, too. It’s not fun to have scoop and not report it and then see someone else break the story. That’s just a little insight about the reporting process for you.

• FOLLOW PEWTER REPORT ON SOCIAL MEDIA We appreciate the 34,000 Twitter followers we have on the @PewterReport Twitter account and passed that big milestone at the end of 2019. Now we’re on our way to reaching 35,000 in 2020. So if you don’t follow us on Twitter please take the time to do so, Bucs fans.

Also, make sure you follow PewterReport.com on all social media platforms this offseason as we cover the NFL Scouting Combine next month and the NFL Owners Meeting in March, plus any breaking Bucs news or press conferences.

Twitter: @PewterReport

Facebook: PewterReport

Instagram: PewterReport

Soundcloud: PewterNation