TAMPA, Fla. -- They're like faces through a turnstile, some coming, others going, with no guarantee that the changes will lead to a more stable future.
Part of a failed past was shed. Then new names were brought on board for what coach Lovie Smith and general manager Jason Licht hope represents a renaissance's start.
This free-agency period for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers included less thunder than last year, which won't be a bad thing if the coming draft decisions prove to be dynamite. If nothing else, the Bucs' big thinkers were more cautious and less careless when checking out the NFL's clearance rack, though scars from spending decisions in March 2014 remain.
Goodbye, Josh McCown. Farewell, Anthony Collins. See ya, Michael Johnson.
Hello, Bruce Carter. Welcome, Henry Melton. Pleased to meet you, Chris Conte. Make yourself comfortable, Sterling Moore.
It's impossible to consider the current free-agent class without thinking about what the Bucs pitched along the way. This March was about taking a chisel to mistakes from 2014 as much as etching new answers.
Still, that 2-14 record will be a red letter that Smith and Licht must wear for as long as they stay in Tampa. That 2-14 record was made possible in large part because of whiffs in free agency. That 2-14 record should be treated like a brush with cyanide, never to be lived again.
Time will show if this second shot at free agency will shake the opening act's nightmare. The results must be different. The success must come.
Here's an overview of the Bucs' free-agency moves to this point.
COMING
LB Bruce Carter (four years, $17 million)
Though versatile, he figures to be the Bucs' answer at middle linebacker after the team parted ways with Mason Foster. Tampa Bay envisions Carter becoming a strong complement to linebacker Lavonte David, who should be a pillar of the Bucs' plans for years to come. Carter had a career-high five interceptions last year with the Dallas Cowboys in 13 regular-season games. The Bucs entered free agency looking to enhance their middle linebacker position, and they think they have done so by signing Carter.
S Chris Conte (one year, $1.5 million)
He's injury-prone, but his addition could mean the end of Dashon Goldson's time with the Bucs. Conte, who has a history with Smith as part of the Chicago Bears, boasts 231 tackles and nine career interceptions in four seasons. He has had at least three interceptions in each of the past two seasons. Goldson was never a strong fit within Smith's scheme, so perhaps Conte's familiarity with the defensive concepts will go far in the Bucs' attempt to strengthen a secondary that was part of the NFL's 28th-best pass defense (255.2 yards per game allowed through the air).
DT Henry Melton (one year, $3.75 million)
Henry Melton
A Pro Bowl player after the 2012 season, Melton will try to recapture career momentum in a reunion with Smith. Melton has 104 tackles, 20 1/2 sacks, three forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries. He spent four seasons with the Bears (2010 to 2013), and he comes to the Bucs after earning 15 tackles and five sacks in 16 games with the Cowboys last year. He's an upgrade over Da'Quan Bowers, who was allowed to walk in free agency.
CB Sterling Moore (one year, $1.525 million)
Surprise, surprise, he's another former Cowboys player. Moore saw his most significant playing time last year in Dallas, where he had a career-high 46 tackles, 13 passes defensed, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries in 16 regular-season games. He also played in 14 regular-season games with the New England Patriots in 2011 and 2012. He will compete with Leonard Johnson for the Bucs' nickelback position.
P Andrew Wilder (N/A)
A free agent throughout last season, he will be given a look by the Bucs as they try to improve their special teams' situation. Wilder's signing may be a signal that Tampa Bay is interested in investigating possible options to push Michael Koenen, who averaged a career-worst 40.4 yards in 78 punts last season. Wilder, a Northern Arizona product, led all Football Championship Subdivision punters with a 46.3-yard average in 2012. He was fifth in 2013 with a 44.5-yard average.
STAYING
CB Mike Jenkins (one year, N/A)
Mike Jenkins
He was signed before last season as the assumed answer at the Bucs' No. 2 cornerback spot, but he was placed on injured reserve because of a pectoral injury after just one tackle in a Week 1 loss to the Carolina Panthers. Johnthan Banks thrived in Jenkins' absence, so Jenkins' return will be interesting, if the veteran stays healthy. Will Jenkins be a favorite to become a starter? Or will Banks be given the edge, given how he emerged as a success story last season with a career-high four interceptions? The situation will be worth following.
SS Major Wright (two years, $3 million)
He was serviceable with 51 tackles and one pass defensed in 12 games last season. Wright's history with Smith helps -- the safety spent four seasons with the Bears from 2010 to 2013 -- and he'll represent another face who should have a minimal learning curve with what Smith is trying to install.
BEST ADDITION
Bruce Carter. The Bucs will ask him to player middle linebacker after moving past Foster, who wasn't asked back as a free agent. Carter had most of his experience at weakside linebacker with the Dallas Cowboys within a similar defensive scheme. But because of the large financial commitment to him, he'll probably be a mainstay at the crucial middle linebacker position. He must show he has what it takes to thrive there.
NEXT MOVE?
Hello, NFL draft. It's hard to see the Bucs doing much more in free agency. Don't be surprised if a few other low-cost signings happen in the coming weeks, but full attention should be paid to the draft for the next impactful moment on Tampa Bay's calendar. The Bucs figure to take a quarterback at No. 1, but what will they do from there? Expect more offensive line help to arrive early. Perhaps reinforcements will be added in the secondary. This draft class must be a home run.
GOING
QB Josh McCown (released, saves $5.25 million in cap room)
Josh McCown
Good guy, bad year. McCown never lived up to the hype after Smith welcomed him to serve as a plug-and-play answer to help install the coach's vision. McCown closed with 2,206 yards passing. But he crashed and burned with 14 interceptions and looked overmatched far too often. With the Tampa Bay region gripped in Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota Fever, it was predictable to see McCown sent packing.
OT Anthony Collins (released, saves $3 million in cap room)
He was billed as the protector of McCown's blind side. Instead, he mostly played like he was blind until being benched late in the season. None of last year's big-name free-agent additions were as disappointing as Collins, who was given a five-year, $30 million deal with $15 million guaranteed. The Bucs made the wise move to cut their losses.
DE Michael Johnson (released, saves $2 million in cap room)
He never looked like a comfortable fit, which is as much the Bucs' fault as Johnson's. For whatever reason, he didn't connect well with what Tampa Bay tried to do on defense, and he finished with an anemic 27 tackles with four sacks and two forced fumbles. The Bucs need a monster from the edge to make their defensive scheme work. In Johnson, they barely received a "boo!"
DE Adrian Clayborn (one year, $3 million with the Atlanta Falcons)
Adrian Clayborn
He will become a what-if presence if he goes on to revive his career with the Falcons. Injuries plagued Clayborn's time with the Bucs, the latest ailment a torn biceps that placed him on injured reserve after just one game last season. A former first-round pick, he had 109 tackles with 13 sacks and five forced fumbles in 36 games with Tampa Bay from 2011 to 2014. He was pushed out of the picture because of his sparse on-field presence.
MLB Mason Foster (unsigned)
Here's another victim of health problems. Foster's missed time last year -- he appeared in a career-low 10 games -- opened a window for Danny Lansanah to receive a closer look and for other options to be explored in free agency. Carter will be the Bucs' answer at middle linebacker, and Foster is still looking for a job. Foster was the most significant name with Bucs ties to exit this offseason after earning 343 tackles with six sacks, five interceptions, two fumbles and two fumble recoveries in 57 games from 2011 to 2014. But his departure is no large surprise.
WORST LOSS
Mason Foster. The Bucs' list of unrestricted free agents was rather weak, but he had the largest impact of the group. Unfortunately for him, injuries derailed his Bucs career, and he was made expendable with Lansanah's emergence. Losing Foster falls well short of watching Darrelle Revis walk last offseason, of course. But the Washington product's absence stands as the most notable this year.
HAPPY TRAILS
Josh McCown. Sure, he was worse than expected on the field. Sure, he was nowhere near the quarterback who accomplished so much in Jay Cutler's absence in 2013. Sure, he never made a healthy transition from being a long-time Bears backup to becoming the Bucs' top man. But no one can fault the journeyman signal-caller for the way he carried himself in front of the public eye. He was honest and professional when reflecting on a terrible season for him and his team. His tears behind the podium after a Week 10 loss to the Falcons at Raymond James Stadium stand as the most surreal moment of a bizarre year.
You can follow Andrew Astleford on Twitter @aastleford or email him at aastleford@gmail.com.
