Buccaneers to cut Dashon Goldson, free up $4 million

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will cut Dashon Goldson, according to JoeBucsFan. Apparently the Bucs see Chris Conte as a replacement for Goldson, or at least part of the competition to replace him. Cutting Goldson will free up $4 million in salary and cap space, and the Bucs will use that on some other free agents, presumably. They will still owe Goldson some $3.5 million this year.

Goldson signed a five-year, $47.5 million contract with $21.5 million guaranteed back in 2013, but he never lived up to those numbers. Goldson was nearly a liability in 2013, racking up penalties with hits to the head and even serving a one-game suspension because of his hitting style. He fixed those issues this year, but never turned into more than an okay safety -- certainly not a player worth the salary he was being paid.

It's not clear how the Bucs will replace Goldson. Conte would be one (shaky) option, with Bradley McDougald likely starting at strong safety. But the team's also reportedly interested in defensive back Ron Parker, and recently signed Major Wright. It's likely that an offseason competition will determine his replacement.