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Where should Mark Barron and Ronde Barber rank among safeties?

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May 15, 2012; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive back Ronde Barber (20) works out during organized team activities at One Buc. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

The offseason is oh, so slow - so we move to evaluating some more rankings. Ryan Van Bibber figures the Tampa Bay Buccaneers safeties rank 29th in the NFL.

This is an odd situation. They did manage to nab the only blue chip safety in the draft this year, trading down two spots for Alabama's Mark Barron. He is already working as the starting strong safety. Ancient cornerback Ronde Barber was supposed to move to free safety, but any suspension from Eric Wright's DUI could force him back to the outside. Cody Grimm is the third safety.

Whether or not Grimm is the third safety is up for debate - it seems that Grimm is the backup strong safety, while Ahmad Black is the backup free safety. Black stands to get more playing time because it appears Ronde Barber will move to slot cornerback in dime defenses, bringing Black on as the free safety.

Regardless, it's very hard to determine where the Bucs' safety tandem should rank. Mark Barron is a tremendous talent, but he hasn't played a snap in the NFL yet. Ronde Barber is extremely experienced - but this is his first year playing safety. The duo could look absolutely amazing this season, but having two starters who have never played safety seems like a recipe for disaster.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

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