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With the 2014 NFL scouting combine in the rearview mirror and free agency about to begin, Insider's experts have produced an Offseason Blueprint for all 32 NFL teams. Included are each team's front-office priorities, projected 2014 lineups, draft and free-agency targets, cap situation and much more.
This is the Offseason Blueprint for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Front-office priorities
What management's to-do list should include this offseason.
1. It isn't the current regime's fault, but the first thing you notice about the 2014 Buccaneers is that their projected team cash spending -- the real money -- is the highest in the league, and they weren't even close to being considered a team that could contend in the postseason in 2013. Rich owners don't get rich and stay rich by burning cash.
2. Player development as it relates to success/failure is largely dependent on the quality of the program. How good QB Mike Glennon becomes will come on the watch of offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford, and the Bucs will need to get it right with him or someone else quickly, as they are in a division with a Hall of Famer (Drew Brees) and two of the best young QBs in the league (Cam Newton and Matt Ryan).
3. The offensive line is a major problem. Carl Nicks, Davin Joseph and Donald Penn all have cap numbers that put them in the top 15 at their position, but the offense was 31st in yards per game last season, 25th in rushing yards per play and 27th in sacks per pass attempt. What has happened with Nicks in regard to his health (toe, staph infection) is just terrible, as he was the best guard in the league when he signed with the Bucs as a UFA in 2012. However, he has played only nine games over the past two years. This area will get a close examination -- finances, health and expectations.