Bucs want Jackson to do what he does best
TAMPA — Is DeSean Jackson now merely a “piece of the puzzle” or a player who can still transform the Bucs offense?
Moreover, it’s possible his eventual replacement — second-year receiver Chris Godwin — could have a larger role sooner than later.
A year ago, the Bucs signed Jackson to a threeyear $33.5 million contract. But he never got on the same page with quarterback Jameis Winston and finished with 50 catches for 668 yards and three touchdowns.
This past week Bucs coach Dirk Koetter was asked how important it was that Winston and Jackson develop better chemistry.
“It’s important. It’s a piece in the puzzle,” Koetter said. “But we have a lot of weapons on offense. We have Mike [Evans], we signed Mike and Cam [Brate] back. O.J. [Howard] going into his second year. Adam Humphries, Chris Godwin.
“DeSean … we did not get the production out of DeSean. And when I say production out of DeSean, when you go back and look at the tape, we have a tape of just plays where we didn’t hit DeSean. DeSean was where he was supposed to be. He was either behind the defense, in between the corner and safety, or he was in position to make explosive plays and we didn’t get the ball to him. That’s on myself; it’s on Jameis to do better. I think DeSean and Jameis have said they need to spend more time working together and I think they’re addressing that. When Jameis got cleared to throw this offseason, I think they started working on that.”
Koetter said he had a tape made of all the plays that Jackson was open and the Bucs simply didn’t get the ball to him.
“He’s got elite speed and he’s done it for several years,” Koetter said. “DeSean’s speed has not deceased. I can show you plays on tape. He’s where he’s supposed to be. He is in behind the defense or getting into position to make big plays.
“When you just go back and look at it, you go, ‘Man, that play in that game might have made a difference.’ You never know which play it’s going to be when you’re in that game. It’s easy to go back and look at it on the back end and cry about spilled milk. You just never know which plays in the game are going to make the difference. But when you bring a guy like DeSean Jackson, he was brought to Tampa for a reason, and we did not do a good job of taking advantage of what he does best.”
The question is: Will the Bucs take advantage of Jackson’s skills in 2018? A lot of that will depend on how much time Winston and Jackson spend together this offseason. Jackson trains in California and wasn’t a regular attendee of the Bucs’ voluntary OTA workouts.
The other factor is the emergence of Godwin, who played well beyond his years as a rookie. When Jackson was unable to finish the game at Miami, Godwin made the clutch catches to win the game. When Jackson missed the final two games, Godwin stepped up with 10 catches for 209 yards and a game-winning TD against the Saints.
If you’re wondering what the salary-cap implications would be if the Bucs were to release Jackson, $20 million of his salary was guaranteed at signing. The Bucs would take on $7.5 million of dead money on the salary cap.
On the other side of the ball, defensive lineman Mitch Unrein is a big part of the Bucs’ efforts to improve their run defense, and while sacks are what get headlines, he’s stayed in the NFL for seven years by doing the dirty work against the run.
The 6-foot-4, 301-pounder signed a threeyear deal averaging $3.5 million a year, more than double his annual salary at any point in his career.
Unrein — pronounced UN-rhine — is listed as a defensive tackle but played most recently as a 3-4 end in Chicago, having played most of his career as a 4-3 tackle who can step outside when needed.