Bucs need to stop worrying about the distant future

It’s rare for the Buccaneers, or any other NFL team for that matter, to make an in-season trade.

That needs to change.

Head coach Bruce Arians was brought in to fix what has been broken for years. The coaching staff has done that for the most part. The offense can move the ball. Opposing offenses can’t run on Bowles’ defense. There is visible progress.

I know. There is still a good amount of room to improve. But the team plays much differently under Arians.

However, there is a major problem.

The secondary is broken. And it is soft.

The Bucs are always preaching how they want to keep their draft picks, how they never want to mortgage their future. That can’t be the case anymore.

Luke Easterling of SI.com writes that Jason Licht and Co. need to make a move to help their secondary and no better player to do that than making a trade for veteran Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson.

Peterson is exactly the kind of player this team needs. He’s a big, physical, athletic corner who can neutralize an opposing offense’s top pass-catcher. He’s got experience playing for both Arians and Bowles, which limits his transition period were he to join the Bucs mid-season. Perhaps most importantly, he’s an experienced veteran who brings leadership to a young group that’s struggling to find a positive identity this season.

Who can disagree?

The Bucs are giving up a league-high 323.6 passing yards per game and second highest completions with 139. They made Daniel Jones and Teddy Bridgewater look like All-Pros. And they will most likely make Kyle Allen look like a Pro Bowler this week.

Sad times.

Something has got to give. The effort from the players is certainly there. But the secondary is legitimately holding back the entire team’s performance. Heck, if not Peterson then make a move for disgruntled Jaguars’ cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

Do something.

Stop worrying about the future. Worrying about the future in the past has not made the present successful after so many previous draft selections in the secondary.

So it’s time to start worrying about what can be done now and prevent ongoing failure for the future.