The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be focused on re-signing their own players in free agency — that much is clear. But that doesn’t mean they can’t focus on bringing in some new talent, too.
ESPN recently created a list of one free agent each team should consider signing, and writer Aaron Schatz focused in on tight end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His pick for the Bucs was Houston Texans tight end Dalton Schultz, who will be a free agent after just one year in Houston.
Here’s what the list had to say about Shultz and his fit with Tampa Bay:
The Buccaneers got 455 yards and four touchdowns out of second-year tight end Cade Otton, but Schultz would expand what they can do at the position. He had 635 yards and five touchdowns for Houston, with a similar receiving DVOA to Otton but more production. Tampa Bay’s other tight end, Ko Kieft, is strictly a blocker, so bringing in Schultz would open things up for more two-tight end sets where both tight ends are receiving threats. But Schultz is also a good run-blocker, with Pro Football Focus giving him a run-blocking grade above 60.0 in five consecutive seasons.
It is true that Schultz would be a good pickup for the Bucs. Tight end Cade Otton has shown some flashes of prowess (particularly in crunch time), but he hasn’t truly come into his own as a dominant tight-end threat. Schultz would automatically be the best-receiving threat in the tight end room and, as mentioned by Schatz, could open up the playbook for some unique sets.
The problem, however, will inevitably be his cost. As it stands, Spotrac has Schultz’s market value at $11.3 million. That’s a steep price for the Bucs, and it would be for a positon that could use some brushing up on but isn’t explicitly a need. That money could likely go toward retaining players like Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans and Antoine Winfield Jr. — should the Bucs be able to keep all those players and then sign Schultz, though, it would be an immediate improvement for the team.
