After signing Vincent Jackson to a five-year deal yesterday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are continuing their spending spree by adding cornerback Eric Wright to the team, so reports Adam Schefter of ESPN. The Bucs needed to add at least one cornerback in free agency this year, as the Bucs lack depth at the position and the future of both Aqib Talib and Ronde Barber with the team is in doubt.
Wright is a solid all-around cornerback who spent 2011 with the Detroit Lions after playing for the Cleveland Browns for four seasons. Originally a second-round pick out of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Wright has 13 career interceptions and should help bolster the Bucs' shaky secondary.
The Bucs aren't done signing free agents, as free agent guard Carl Nicks is in town, and multiple reports suggest the Buccaneers are close to signing the star offensive lineman. With the signing of both Wright and Jackson and the pursuit of Carl Nicks the Bucs are certainly sending a message to their fans: they want to win, and they want to win now.
After this free agency period is over the Bucs could very well look like the offseason champions, a role they haven't had in ages. At the same time, though, offseason champions and actual champions are often entirely separate teams. The 2011 Philadelphia Eagles and 2000-2010 Washington Redskins are proof positive of that phenomenon.
Update The deal is for five years.