No 2016 compensatory draft picks for Buccaneers for fifth straight year

For the fifth straight year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have not been awarded any compensatory draft picks. The NFL announced the compensatory picks for the 2016 NFL draft today. Four teams received a third-round pick, while nine teams received a fourth-rounder. Compensatory picks are slotted in at the end of draft rounds and cannot  be traded.

The Dallas Cowboys received the most compensatory picks with for, in part because the Bucs signed Henry Melton and Bruce Carter. You can find a full list  of compensatory picks here.

Compensatory draft picks are awarded for teams that lost more or more expensive free agents than they signed in the previous year. The Bucs didn't lose any significant players in free agency and signed a slew of second- and third-tier players, so the fact that they weren't awarded any picks this year isn't surprising. Only players who leave the team after playing out their contracts are counted for compensatory pick calculations.

The fact that the Bucs haven't been awarded any compensatory picks since 2011 says something about both their draft and free agency choices. Few of them have played out their contracts, and those who have haven't signed big contracts with new teams. The only player who could have qualified the Bucs for a big reward was Michael Bennett, who left the team in 2013. But the Bucs signed Dashon Goldson to a big contract that offseason, losing out on any compensation for Bennett in the process.