FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

• There are two roster moves I would fully support Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht making in training camp. The first would be trading for Cleveland running back Duke Johnson, which I chronicled in a previous SR’s Fab 5 column. The Browns have a glut of talent at the running back position led by Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, but due to the fact that Hunt will be suspended for the first eight games of the season, Cleveland may wait until the trade deadline in October to deal him.

The other move I would make would be to sign former Bucs left tackle Donald Penn, who was released in March by Oakland. I’m really concerned at the lack of talent and experience at the offensive tackle position behind starters Donovan Smith and Demar Dotson. Caleb Benenoch enters camp as the backup right tackle, and if Smith were to go down it would be Michael Liedtke as the replacement. That’s far from ideal.

Former Bucs LT Donald Penn – Photo by: Getty Images

Penn is a three-time Pro Bowler, including once in Tampa Bay in 2010 and twice in Oakland in 2016-17, and even at age 36, he could still be a good situational starter even though his skill set has faded. Penn is visiting Washington today where he knows general manager Bruce Allen from their time together with the Bucs. The Redskins may sign him, but it would be great if Penn returned to the team where his career truly began and where he had eight solid seasons in red and pewter. I’d feel better with Penn coming in the game at either left or right tackle rather than Liedtke or Benenoch.

• Tampa Bay inside linebacker Devin White signed his rookie contract this past week prior to the start of training camp. According to Spotrac.com White inked a four-year deal worth $29,315,814 and includes a $19,340,592 signing bonus. White’s contract is fully guaranteed for all four years and includes a fifth-year team option for the 2023 season.

White’s deal averages $7,328,954 annually, and he’ll make a base salary of $495,000 this season in addition to receiving his $19,340,592 signing bonus.

• Forbes.com came out with their annual list of the world’s 50 most valuable sports teams this week, and the Bucs were one of seven NFL teams that failed to make the cut. That might not make the Glazers happy, but the Bucs owners did have their soccer franchise, Manchester United, rank in the Top 10.

The Glazer family with Bruce Arians – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Manchester United came in No. 6 with a value of $3.81 billion and an operating income of $238 million, although the team’s value is down eight percent this year. ManU is the third-ranked soccer team in terms of value, behind Real Madrid (ranked third at $4.24 billion) and Barcelona (ranked fourth at $4.02 billion).

As expected, the most valuable sports franchise is Jerry Jones’ Dallas Cowboys, which are valued at $5 billion with an operating income of $365 million. The New York Yankees are second at $4.6 billion with an operating income of $30 million.

• PewterReport.com officially kicks off its 2019 partnership with WDAE 95.3 FM and 620 AM this week and will make regular appearances each Friday afternoon on the Ron & Ian Show at 3:30 p.m. and the Ronnie & TKras Show at 8:10 a.m. Our coverage on WDAE begins today – Friday, July 26 at 3:30 p.m. when I join Ron & Ian to preview Bucs training camp. Be sure to tune in!

Here is PewterReport.com’s training camp schedule on WDAE:

Friday, July 26 – Scott Reynolds (3:30pm)
Monday, July 29 – Mark Cook (8:10am)
Friday, August 2 – Mark Cook (3:30pm)
Monday, August 5 – Scott Reynolds (8:10am)
Friday, August 9 – Scott Reynolds (3:30pm)
Monday, August 12 – Mark Cook (8:10am)
Friday, August 16 – Mark Cook (3:30pm)
Monday, August 19 – Scott Reynolds (8:10am)
Friday, August 23 – Scott Reynolds (3:30pm)
Monday, August 26 – Mark Cook (8:10am)
Friday, August 30 – Mark Cook (3:30pm)

• TREVOR SIKKEMA RETURNS TO PEWTER REPORT! As you may know, Trevor Sikkema has returned to PewterReport.com for another season of Bucs training camp and regular season coverage. This will be Sikkema’s third season of covering the Bucs and he will still continue on in his role with The Draft Network.

Sikkema was at One Buccaneer Place on Thursday for the Bruce Arians, Jameis Winston and Devin White press conferences and joined Mark Cook, Taylor Jenkins, Matt Matera and yours truly on the latest Pewter Nation Podcast that was taped right afterwards. As you might imagine there was plenty of Bucs insight in addition to some laughs as the gang got back together.

Click here to listen to Pewter Nation Podcast Episode 132: Twas The Night Before Camp

We had the good fortune to have Bucs legend and Ring of Honor member Mike “The A-Train” Alstott join us on the previous episode of the Pewter Nation Podcast. We talked about some of the Bucs glory days when Alstott was scoring 78 touchdowns for Tampa Bay, as well as previewed Bucs training camp with Cook, Matera and Jenkins. Be sure to give this one a listen!

Click here to listen to Pewter Nation Podcast Episode 131: Previewing Camp; A-Train Visits

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 running around doing errands or at the gym on Saturday. The next Pewter Nation Podcast will be taped early next week following the first padded training camp practice on Sunday.

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.

• Astute Bucs fans may have noted that quarterback Nick Fitzgerald will start training camp on the NFI (non-football injury) list and that the other players – linebackers Jack Cichy and David Kenney and safety Justin Evans – will start camp on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list. What’s the difference?

Bucs ILB Jack Cichy – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Fitzgerald pulled a hamstring during the summer while playing volleyball and training away from the team’s facility. That’s why he gets an NFI designation. Evans, Cichy and Kenney all suffered injuries while training with the team at the team facility before the summer break, or in Cichy’s case, during a Bucs game last year versus Cleveland when he tore his ACL. Evans was seen in a boot due to a heel injury that required surgery this offseason, while Kenney suffered an Achilles strain during the mini-camp prior to the summer break.

All four players can be immediately activated to the team’s 90-man training camp roster once deemed healthy and cleared to practice.

• BUCS TRAINING CAMP IS HERE – FOLLOW PR ON TWITTER! The PR Twitter account continues to grow in popularity and there are some big reasons why. We cover Bucs practices, Bucs press conferences and break news on our @PewterReport Twitter account.

So if you aren’t one of the 32,000+ that follows PewterReport.com on Twitter please do so right now so you don’t miss out on Bucs practice footage, press conference notes and video, injury updates, breaking news and notifications about the latest stories and columns on PewterReport.com. Follow us today!

• Bucs undrafted free agent Nick Fitzgerald is trying to make Tampa Bay’s 53-man roster as an athlete, winning the job as an athletic third-string quarterback that can also see some action as an H-back-tight end and also contribute on special teams. Fitzgerald was a dual-threat quarterback at Mississippi State where he broke Tim Tebow’s record for most rushing yards by a quarterback in the SEC.

The 6-foot-5 Fitzgerald, who runs a 4.64, said that playing multiple sports while growing up helped him as a dual-threat QB and will aid in his chances of making the Bucs’ roster.

Bucs QB Nick Fitzgerald – Photo courtesy of Mississippi State

“There are a lot of kids that focus on one sport from a very young age, but I played football, basketball and baseball my whole life growing up,” Fitzgerald said. “Playing all those sports and getting the individual skills you get from each one is going to help you in the long run. College coaches want to see kids that are multiple sport athletes because they know that those different sports teach different skill sets.

“When it comes to football since I started I played for or five positions on defense and three or four on offense. In college I just played quarterback. I begged the coaches to play special teams in college, but that probably wasn’t the smartest thing. If you’re a young kid and you have athleticism and you want to play a certain position, don’t be upset if a coach puts you here or wants you to also play there because ultimately it’s going to help you in the end.”

When Fitzgerald first got to Tampa Bay he exclusively took reps and studied film as a quarterback before moving on to tight end and special teams.

“For the first two or three weeks I was strictly at quarterback and nobody had really talked to me about playing other positions, but I knew it was coming,” Fitzgerald said. “I think it was great for me to learn it through the quarterback lens. You have to know what every single person is doing on every play. I learned the concepts and everything so then I could learn to play another position because I already know that play. Starting at quarterback and having the time that I did in those meeting rooms with Coach Clyde [Christensen] helped me tremendously because I know what to do on each play. I just have to go do it.”

• PewterReport.com is excited to welcome a new advertising partner in The Fat Rabbit Pub in New Tampa. Located at 16209 Tampa Palms Boulevard West in the heart of New Tampa, The Fat Rabbit is one of my favorite eateries and craft drinkeries in the entire Tampa Bay area.

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