With Cortland Finnegan going to the Rams the Bucs are narrowed on their search for cornerbacks. Brandon Carr, Eric Wright, Aaron Ross, and Tracy Porter are the top available corners left in the market and they are all being pursued by other teams already. Brandon Carr is reportedly in the workings of a deal with the Cowboys. Eric Wright is being pursued by the 49ers, but has also been linked with Tampa Bay. Aaron Ross is visiting with the Bengals Thursday and the Rams are apparently interested in Tracy Porter.
Seeing as the prized corner of the market, Finnegan, has been taken off the market there should be a stronger push by these teams to secure the available talent. However, since the Rams signed Cortland Finnegan, it is likely they will not pursue Tracy Porter as heavily. The Bucs need at least one quality corner to join the team this offseason as they cannot rely on having both Barber and Talib back. Even if they do get both players back, Ronde has declined as he has aged and having fresh blood on the team would help. Tracy Porter may not be the best corner available but he would certainly be an upgrade over EJ Biggers or Myron Lewis. Porter also played for the Saints last season, so it would be a blow to them to lose one of their better cornerbacks. As long as the price is right for any of these corner free agents, then the Bucs will likely pick one of them up. With Finnegan wanting around 11 million dollars a year, that may have been the reason the Bucs were not willing to offer him as large a contract as the Rams.
The Bucs still have the draft to add talent to the cornerback position and hopefully Morris Claiborne will fall to them at the #5 pick. Since the Bucs have added a number one receiver in Vincent Jackson and are working for Carl Nicks, they will likely use one of their top picks in the draft on a corner to replace Ronde Barber in the future. If they were able to add one of these free agent cornerbacks as well, then all that would be left is a 3rd down back, linebacker and safety. LB Stephen Tulloch has been linked with the Bucs, meaning the team is working hard to try and fill all their holes by next year for Coach Schiano. Seeing as only one day has passed in free agency, it is very likely the Bucs address these needs before or during the draft. The team will have a lot of added talent by the time training camp starts.