Lately, I have been hearing a lot of talk about Tampa Bay Buccaneers Safety, Chris Conte. He is one of the reasons why the secondary is so bad. However, there must be something about the way he plays in order to keep him around, right? Nonetheless, there are a couple free agents out there that may be a better fit in the defense of the Bucs.
First, let’s look at Chris Conte’s stats. He is a seven-year veteran. IN those 7 years he has played 101 games. Gathering 14 INTs, 40 passes defended, 7 forced fumbles, and 353 tackles. Conte is in the final year of his contract.
Here is a look at four current free agent safeties that could make the secondary of the Tampa Buccaneers better.
The former Carolina Panther and Buffalo Bill has had a taste of NFC South football. Aside from the two teams mentioned Byrd was once a member of the New Orleans Saints. The nine-year veteran was once viewed as one of the best safeties in the game. In 118 games Byrd has amassed 25 INTs, 41 passes defended, 13 forced fumbles, 375 tackles, and 4 sacks. His best season was 2009, his rookie year in which he took nine balls away from the opposing offense.
Mitchell is also a nine-year veteran of the NFL. He has played most recently with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mitchell has 137 games under his belt. In those 137 games, he has 10 INTs, 45 passes defended, 7 forced fumbles, 342 tackles, and 7.5 sacks. Mitchell has been a solid part of some of the best defenses in Pittsburgh.
Butler is a three-team, nine-year veteran as well. He has been with the New England Patriots, Carolina Panthers, and Indianapolis Colts. He spent most of his career with the Colts. In those nine years, he has played in 124 games with 15 INTs, 71 passes defended, 9 forced fumbles, 283 tackles.
Vaccaro is the youngest of this group. The five-year veteran of the New Orleans Saints is a familiar face to the Bucs. After all, they faced him twice per season over the last five years. He has 68 games under his belt. IN those games he has 8 INTs, 29 passes defended, 4 forced fumbles, 283 tackles, and 7.5 sacks. He would bring an immediate upgrade to the safety position for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
These are four guys that are on the market that may make the Bucs defense better. While most of them have a pretty extensive resume, they still have some tread that could make the Tampa Bay Buccaneers better.
What do you think about these four free agents replacing Chris Conte? Leave a comment below.
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