Buccaneers bring in Gosder Cherilus for visit after Demar Dotson injury

With Demar Dotson expected to be out for some eight weeks with a sprained(/torn) MCL, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers aren't going to just line up their official backups. According to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times, the Bucs are bringing Gosder Cherilus in for a visit.

Cherilus was released by the Indianapolis Colts this offseason in a cap-saving move after starting the previous two seasons at right tackle no a five-year, $35 million contract. Cherilus has started 100 games in his seven-year career after being drafted in the first round of the 2008 NFL draft by the Detroit Lions. While Cherilus was reliable for most of his career, Pro Football Focus gave him a dismal -16.8 grade for his performance last year. That decline was injury-induced, but at 31, Cherilus' poor play may be permanent rather than temporary.

Still, the Bucs clearly don't trust their in-house options at right tackle. Dotson started the entire first half at right tackle (36 snaps), even though they only asked Logan Mankins and Evan Smith to play five and 16 snaps respectively. Lovie Smith mentioned Kevin Pamphile and Patrick Omameh as the likely stand-ins for Dotson, but Pamphile looked awful at right tackle last year (while showing promise on the left) and Omameh has never looked good anywhere on the line. Cherilus is at least experienced and relatively reliable as a starter, and should be able to help the Bucs get through the first four or five games of the season while Dotson recovers from his knee injury.