What’s up with the Bucs?
It’s been an interesting week for Tampa Bay’s Buccaneers. Pre-season starts in two weeks. Julio Jones, free agent and wide receiver, isn’t the only former Atlanta Falcons player to sign with the Bucs. Offensive center, Ryan Jensen, suffered a season ending injury. Training camp started July 25, and some players are making quite the impression.
First Days of Training Camp
New coach, interesting roster, Tampa Bay Bucs are off to a good start, and Todd Bowles, Bucs head coach, appears satisfied. Joey Knight and Greg McKenna talk about this in their article about the first week of training camp. The full week reflected on the players. Offensive linemen Brandon Walton and Aaron Stinnie play well off each other. They activated Don Gardner from the PUP list and he will take part in camp starting Monday, August first. Before Julio Jones signed his deal with the Bucs, another former Falcon signed with them. Receiver, Russell Gage made a good showing at training camp. Halfway through the first week, Ryan Jensen suffered a debilitating knee injury during practice.
Potential Replacement for Jensen
Losing Jensen is unexpected and significant. He plays a large part in keeping Brady safe. To build the team, the franchise spent a lot of money on free agents in the off season. Kyle Rudolph can replace Rob Gronkowski. Russel Gage and Julio Jones can fill in for Antonio Brown. Who will take Ryan Jensen’s place? It has to be a replacement that will fit in with the Tampa Bay system. That’s not a simple thing to do. The question becomes, will his replacement be a veteran or a rookie? There are veterans available who can replace him, but the Bucs seem to want to incorporate a younger hungrier team. If they stay with the blueprint, there is a two-year player who could flawlessly fit right in already on the team, Robert Hainsey.
Julio Jones and Russell Gage.
Julio Jones signed a one year, six million dollar contract. A pedigree player in the NFL, he is the latest veteran to join the Bucs. Russell Gage played with Julio Jones on the Atlanta Falcons for three years. They are playing together again on the Buccaneers. Add in Chris Godwin and Mike Evans and the Buccaneers receivers could be a major problem for any opposing team.
Training camp continues into its second week. The starting lineup hasn’t been announced – yet. With the Bucs, anything is possible.
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