Arizona Cardinals safety Deone Bucannon was among this year's notable crop of free agents at his position. It appears he has found a new home with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Buccannon was reportedly fielding interest from a number of teams this offseason. According to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, he is expected to sign with Tampa Bay:
Source: Deone Bucannon is expected to sign with the Bucs
The signing of Buccannon makes plenty of sense for the Bucs. They are in desperate need of some help over the top. His versatile skill set will allow him to fill a number of voids in Tampa Bay's defense as he gets reunited with head coach Bruce Arians.
Bucannon was originally selected by Arizona with the 27th overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. Although he initially played safety coming out of college, it was not long before he was asked to play more of a hybrid role as a linebacker. Despite his early promise in his new position, Bucannon's production has declined in recent years.
Regardless, it will be interesting to see the final number for his services. Unlike previous years, the market this offseason has been awfully kind to the safety position. Landon Collins secured a lucrative deal with the Washington Redskins that will pay him $14 million a year. Meanwhile, former teammate Tyrann Mathieu also agreed to a deal that earns him $9.5 million per year. Although he is hardly the type of household name Collins or Mathieu is, there is still a good chance he provides Tampa Bay with plenty of bang for their buck.
