NFL Free Agency 2014: Justin Tuck and Anthony Spencer good fits for Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers desperately want to upgrade their pass rush this offseason, something that's been true every year since Simeon Rice left. It's priority number one for the team's defensive scheme this year, though, and there's a sense that they need to go out and get a dominant edge rusher either in free agency or in the draft.

Which is why Greg Bedard of The MMQB says Anthony Spencer and Justin Tuck's would fit best with the Buccaneers in his top 100 list of free agents (part I, part II). Both players are older veterans (30 and 31 respectively) who have had 11-sack seasons recently (2012 and 2013 respectively) who should be significantly cheaper than the premium pass rushers like Greg Hardy, Brian Orakpo and Michael Johnson.

Bedard's fingering older pass rushers makes sense in this market (or any market), where younger players are going to be very, very expensive. Licht has said that he will look for value in free agency, which generally means paying top dollar is off the table. They might make an exception for a really exceptional player, but it's unlikely.

Still, that doesn't mean old guys do represent value. The issue with older players is that they're declining, and you need to hope that you're on the right side of the decline when you give them a new contract. That makes them cheaper, but also a significant risk. Justin Tuck had a good season last year, but that may just have been a blip after two disappointing years. Anthony Spencer had a good year in 2012 -- but that was his only season with double-digit sacks.

Still, unless the Buccaneers trade Darrelle Revis or find other ways to free up a lot of cap space, they can't address all the holes they want to address by going after top free agents. They don't have the cap space to sign Greg Hardy, and then sign depth players, a strongside linebacker and a few additional offensive linemen. In that sense, Anthony Spencer and Justin Tuck would certainly be good fits.