Week 7 was supposed to be a heavyweight battle between two contending teams, and instead, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers spent most of Monday night trying to stop the bleeding as the Baltimore Ravens continued to pour it on.
To make matters worse, with under a minute to go in the game, wide receiver Chris Godwin went down with a horrific injury. Some way, somehow, Todd Bowles left his starters in the game only to see something like that happen
With Godwin out, now, the Bucs are feeling the pressure at some key positions. Mike Evans is also nursing a hamstring injury, to make matters worse. The secondary is still an issue, too, and the Bucs have limited time to try and patch the holes.
Before the NFL trade deadline passes on November 5, though, Tampa Bay has some options they can look at in order to help shore up these two pressing areas.
The Bucs could go out and fill some holes before the NFL trade deadline
Jonathan Jones, CB, New England Patriots
Looking at the cornerback position, the Bucs should at least call New England about Jonathan Jones, who has found himself in plenty of trade rumors with the Patriots headed no where this season. Jones is 31 and in the last year of his current deal, but would come in and be an immediate starter for a team in desperate need for secondary help.
Jones might even come on the cheap not only due to his being a free agent next offseason, but because the Patriots have underwhelmed and thus, Jones isn’t off to a blistering start by any means. A change of scenery and into a winning environment would certainly boost performance, one has to think.
Diontae Johnson, WR, Carolina Panthers
A trade within the division isn’t something you often see, but Diontae Johnson is also a free agent after this season and the Carolina Panthers are contending for nothing more than the no. 1 pick, again.
Johnson was dealt to the Panthers this past offseason, which makes it a little harder to foresee a trade happening. However, Carolina is going to have to rebuild at almost every area of the roster, and getting something in return for Johnson might just make sense. The 28-year-old is a solid possession wideout similar to Godwin, and he’d be a great fit.
Greg Newsome, CB, Cleveland Browns
Going back to the cornerback position and now to another team in shambles, let’s look at Greg Newsome of the Cleveland Browns. He’s in his fourth year and still has his fifth-year option which was already exercised, so the Bucs could get more than just a one-year rental here.
