Free Agent cornerbacks update

Last month, I took a look at possible cornerback free agent targets for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 2012 free agency period. The prospects of those players being removed from the market with the franchise tag were listed as well. All teams which have elected to use their franchise tags have assigned them, so here is the update:

CB Lardarius Webb, Age 25, Ravens

The Ravens franchised RB Ray Rice as expected, so Webb will be a free agent.

CB Brandon Carr, Age 26, Chiefs

As expected, the Chiefs franchised WR Dwayne Bowe so Carr will become a free agent.

    

CB Tracy Porter, Age 26, Saints

The Saints franchised QB Drew Brees, meaning Porter will be a free agent.

CB William Middleton, Age 26, Jaguars

The Jaguars, like the Buccaneers, franchised their outstanding placekicker Josh Scobee.  Middleton will enter the free agent market.

CB Richard Marshall, Age 27, Cardinals

The Cardinals, as expected, franchised DE Calais Campbell, so Marshall will become a free agent.

    

CB Terrell Thomas, Age 27, Giants

The Giants franchised P Steve Weatherford, only the fourth time in history a punter has been franchised.  As such, Thomas will enter the free agent market.

CB William Gay, Age 27, Steelers

The Steelers have not elected to use their franchise tag this season as they work themselves into a more cap-friendly position.  As a result, Gay will become a free agent.

    

CB Corey Graham, Age 27, Bears

As expected, the Bears franchised RB Matt Forte, leaving Graham available to the free agent market.

All these experienced young corners will be available for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to negotiate with when the Free Agency market opens on March 13th. Tampa Bay could be looking for up to two new corners to take the place of Aqib Talib and/or Ronde Barber this offseason. The question now becomes Value: which of these players can be signed for a price which matches their play on the field?

For comparison, the Atlanta Falcons have franchised CB Brent Grimes to the tune of $10.6 million.  Clearly these players will command some hefty payout.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers must be careful, however.  They have some pricey young players to re-sign next year (provided they confirm their worth). Giving up a young, promising, on-the-roster talent because the team signed a high-priced corner this year is trade-off which is hard to balance.  Expect the Buccaneers to be mentioned in negotiations for some of these players. 

Just don't expect them to overpay.

Talib To Meet With Goodell Tuesday

Buccaneers cornerback Aqib Talib will have a meeting with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Tuesday.

There is no way this ends well -- you remember those trips to the Principal's office, right?

Unfortunately, Talib and the commissioner are not strangers, a fact that can only play against Talib.  After an altercation with a cab driver (which was settled on a plea), Goodell held Talib out for a game last season.  This past summer, Talib was implicated in gunplay back in Texas.  And while the report of his impending release by the Buccaneers was wrong, General Manager Mark Dominik and Head Coach Raheem Morris have to be getting tired of these visits to New York.  Particularly during preseason, right after a game where the defense was roughed up a bit.  Clearly, Talib has proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that he will not (and can not) be a leader on a defense where personal accountability is so important.  It has to impact his value to the team.

Talib has not been found guilty at this point, and if Goodell has league resources looking into the situation in Texas he must be careful not to tip his hat.  The fear is that, having missed a game last season, Talib may be in for a much bigger smack to the wallet (i.e. longer suspension) this time around.

With an early season schedule packing some serious heat (DET, @MIN, ATL, IND), this no time to be one man down.

Talib Not Going Anywhere (Unless)

Aqib Talib will not be leaving the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, unless he really did fire a weapon in Texas.

Contrary to other reports, there is not a movement inside the Buccaneers organization to let Talib go.  And while the blogosphere is quick to judge, jury, and execution, just because you don't look at the facts does not mean they do not exist.  Really, bloggers "calling" for the release of Talib?  Get Real.

Don't get me wrong -- if Talib fired the gun, the NFL will be quick and decisive in it's actions.  And dismissal from the team is a real possibility.

But, so far, Talib is still only a "person of interest".  He has not been formally charged.  In fact, a grand jury will decide whether to indict Talib.  The facts of the case are sketchy, with many coming from the notorious "unnamed sources close to the investigation".  And several don't pass the "common sense" test, such as the man allegedly shot at was at the scene when police arrived -- this is a guy who claims two people shot at him; was he looking for a third time?  The suspect led the police to the gun which was allegedly discharged at him; it was in a neighbor's trash can -- again, shot at, ran away, but knew where the gun was?

A grand jury will decide if charges need to be brought against Talib.  Until then, he's done everything the team has asked of him, including anger management courses and limited time with the media.  The team will not make a decision before this process is fully resolved.

So let's just let it play out, OK?