NFL Free Agency 2013: Dashon Goldson to visit Buccaneers first

Adam Schefter of ESPN and Pro Football Talk have both reported that free agent safety Dashon Goldson will make the Tampa Bay Buccaneers his first stop on a free agent tour. According to Rick Stroud he will travel in the Glazers' private plane. Usually the first stop is also the last stop, and the free agent signs with that team. Given the fact that the Bucs have been linked repeatedly with Goldson over the past two days, it seems unlikely that Goldson will leave the Tampa Bay area without a contract.

If signed, Goldson will be paired with Mark Barron in the secondary. The two-time Pro Bowler is more than capable of playing the deep middle of the field, while he's physical in run support and a punishing tackler. He can get in trouble when he's asked to play underneath coverage, but that's mostly what Barron's is likely to be. Going by recent contracts for premium safeties, most notably Eric Weddle's in Tennessee, the Bucs are likely to spend around $8 million per year on the safety.

The fact that the Buccaneers are interested in Goldson does not mean they don't want Ronde Barber back. It does mean that they do not want him back as a free safety, however, and his role is likely to be reduced to that of slot cornerback/third safety. Whether Barber would like to return in that role remains to be seen.

Don't expect this to be the end of the Buccaneers' dealings in free agency. They have been linked with several cornerbacks, including Derek Cox, Sean Smith and Brent Grimes. The most intriguing name to have surfaced is that of Darrelle Revis, but it remains to be seen whether the Bucs are willing to pay the price to get the veteran cornerback in Tampa. Regardless, the Bucs seem bent on overhauling their secondary and Dashon Goldson would be the first piece of the solution.