Future Financial Implications

The BUCS are will head into the 2021 Draft with its secondary fully intact. But, there are some tough decisions to be made as far as planning for the future of the young group.

Chief among them are the finances associated with retaining the majority of them. While targeting a player that can have an impact in the secondary may seem a bit too eager of a move for some, it’s necessary. It may not be possible to re-sign all of the secondary back at the end of their contracts.

And that wouldn’t be an issue if there was a glaring weakness among them like we’ve seen in Tampa over the years. At just about every spot, there was someone that was a big question mark or on the bubble.

Not this time around.

The vast majority of these guys have all come up big throughout their short careers in Pewter and Red. And they all started early and went through some fire. So, that presents a bit of an issue. And it’s a good issue/problem to have to address.

How and when do you prepare to replace one of your starters that’ll possibly outplay his contract in the near future?

How? In the Draft.

When?? Now.

Both Carlton Davis II and Jordan Whitehead are entering the final year of their rookie deals. Both are fully entrenched as starters.

Davis is the unquestioned CB 1 and isn’t easily replaced by anyone on the current roster. None of his fellow cornerback brethren have shown the consistency “C-Murda” has shown so far. Granted, he’s been in the long a year longer. But, by season 2, he took a much bigger step in his growth alongside playing the opposition’s best WR.

If the BUCS aren’t fully intent on re-signing Davis at the end of this season, his potential replacement is gonna need to be drafted this week. And it’s likely gonna have to be a pretty high pick. Like, 1st or 2nd Round high.

Jordan Whitehead has been a solid starter at safety. Last season, he set out on a mission to make sure he wasn’t overlooked again. I’d say he made a pretty good impression and well on his way to getting the attention he deserves.

The heavy-hitter was key in causing turnovers and making splash plays all over the field last season. And even though Mike Edwards, who will become a free agent in 2023, has been a more-than-capable backup, Whitehead has definitely made a name for himself and looks to be one of those “must-haves” when it comes to retaining your own players.

This group is the most intriguing of the secondary when it comes to the contract situations and this upcoming draft.

Sean Murphy-Bunting is the CB2 by default since the defense usually starts off in a Nickel package. But, he slides inside to the slot once the opposition utilize 3 WRs. He’s had his ups and downs. Most notably, last season between weeks 4 and 16.

He allowed a completion percentage of at least 80% in half of those games while coming away with just 1 INT.

However, he turned into a completely different beast during the Playoff run. He notched 3 INTs while averaging a 69% completion percentage in the 4 game stretch.

Yet, this still puts both him and the Team at a crossroads this season. Is what we saw from him in the Playoffs the SMB we get going into this season and the next? Seeing as that he’s the nickel specialist, he could possibly face competition from either a rookie draft pick or Jamel Dean for that number 2 spot.

Mr. “Don’t Make A Scene” Dean is in the same boat as Murphy-Bunting. The talent has flashed plenty of times in his short career. But so has the inconsistency. Dean is one of the most uniquely gifted talents on the entire roster. He’s both one of the biggest and one of the fastest in the secondary. If he can tighten up on some of his mechanics and focus, he could take the starting position from SMB.

It’s my opinion that, at least, one of these two guys will face competition to stay on the roster within the next two seasons. I’d say it’s a strong possibility that the competition starts this year with a 2021 Draft pick. It would give the rookie a year to learn the system while also allowing one of these guys to show how much they’ve developed.

If either were to slip, the investment in a CB from this year’s draft could pay big dividends next season when both enter the final year of their rookie contract. From previous experience, there are very few things more annoying as a fan than watching a former prospect go into a do or die contract year knowing there’s little to nothing behind them in the way of a Plan B.

But, that’s kinda where Ross Cockrell comes in. He’s a relatively solid backup. Yet and still, his contract ends at the same time as Dean’s and SMB’s. Plus, he’s 7 years older. He’ll be a 32-year-old free agent going into the 2023 season. Not that being a 32 is a death sentence of any kind. Brent Grimes came to Tampa as a 33-year- old FA in 2016.

The difference being Grimes was a top-end starter for a long time prior. Cockrell has only started 16 games once in his 6 years so far.

When it comes to Mike Edwards, he may be a prime example as to why the BUCS would select a player for the secondary. As a 3rd Rounder, Edwards has come in and had an impact just about every time he’s touched the field. He’s made it to the point that most BUCS fans feel that if/when he needs to step in and start, there’s little to no fall off.

And that’s the most reasonable expectation for any draft pick.

Edwards could alleviate the pressure to re-sign Whitehead at the end of this season. But, that would still leave Edwards’ role to be filled going forward. So, there would still be a need to draft a guy sooner than later.

See. It’s a forever revolving door.

And this guy…

He’s already got two fingers in the Ring Of Honor.

“He Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere”.

Potential Targets

CB-Greg Newsome(Projected 1st-2nd Round)-6’0, 192lb- He’s built in the mold of a Carlton Davis. Very similar ball skills. And very similar in pass interference concerns. But, we’ve seen Davis get better in his technique and limit his pass interference tendencies over three seasons. Newsome could do the same.

CB-Aaron Robinson(Projected 2nd-3rd Round)- 5’11, 186lb- A smaller CB with above-average coverage skills. He has the size and build of Brent Grimes. BREAAAAATHE. Robinson is more than willing to travel with the WR1 as well as lay a big hit on anyone.

Was equally effective lining up on the outside as he was in the slot.

Safety-Andre Cisco(Projected 2nd-4th Round)-6’1, 216lb- A big safety that has a knack for making big plays. PERFECT complement to Whitehead and Edwards. He may fall in the draft due to an ACL injury he suffered before a game last season. But, prior to that, he was a big time player with plenty of upside.