When the Buccaneers signed J.R. Sweezy to a 5 year, $32.5 million contract, they were obviously expecting big things from the ex-Seahawk guard. Sweezy was placed on the PUP list on August 30th due to a back injury that had required surgery.
He was originally eligible to return before week 8 of the season but, it seems like we’ll be waiting a while longer to see him suit up. Head coach Dirk Koetter now says he doesn’t know when Sweezy will even be ready to practice.
The plan was when Sweezy was healthy he was supposed to replace Pamphile but, from what I have seen so far, Pamphile is one of the only offensive linemen that shouldn’t be replaced under any circumstances right now.
With it being a 5-year contract, I’m not ready to say that this acquisition was a mistake. I do believe, however, that the amount they agreed to pay him for the 2016 season has turned out to be a rather large mistake.
Sweezy is set to make a base salary of $4.5 million and a guaranteed roster bonus of $5 million, meaning the Bucs are left with a cap hit of $9.5 million this year on someone who may not even hit the field until next year.
