NFL Free Agency 2017: Buccaneers could target Tony Jefferson

Free agency is just around the corner and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are gearing up to add a few names to their team. Or perhaps more than just a few, given the massive amount of cap space and all the Bucs whose contracts are running out. We’ll see.

It’s still unclear who the Bucs could target in free agency, though. No rumors let alone reports have surfaced on who they might be interested in, and results from the past show that those reports and rumors likely wouldn’t be too accurate anyway.

What we do have is analysis and suggestions, players the Bucs could or should target. And here’s one we haven’t heard before: Arizona Cardinals safety Tony Jefferson, who Cameron DaSilva of Fox Sports thinks would be a great fit in Tampa.

Tony Jefferson somehow stayed in Arizona last offseason after the Cardinals placed a low tender on the safety. No teams came calling to match the offer, leading him to remain with the Cardinals. After a terrific 2016 season, he’ll be much more of a priority. The Buccaneers have a clear need at safety, and Jefferson is exactly the rangy ball hawk they could use.

I like it. Jefferson may be my favorite free agent who’s actually likely to hit the market Eric Berry is almost certain to stay with the Kansas City Chiefs, sadly. Jefferson is also the kind of player the Bucs tend to target: a player with a recent track record of production, who’s not going to demand an extremely pricey contract. Just a reasonably pricey one.

Jefferson would be the kind of safety the Bucs haven’t had in forever: a deep safety with range. He’d be a nice complement to Keith Tandy, who emerged as a playmaker at the end of last year, and the team wouldn’t need to start Chris Conte or Bradley McDougald for another year — not that McDougald is that bad, but he’s not all that special either. Jefferson has the potential to be special.

So yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bucs end up signing Jefferson. And I’d be pretty happy with that result, too.