The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in desperate need for assistance in their secondary. This off-season will have a few names available. One of the best names in the NFL Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is one of those players available.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers could be targeting the former Alabama safety Ha-Ha Clinton Dix due to their lack of depth at the position. The former first-round pick by the Green Bay Packers was traded to the Washington Redskins after week eight. He was mainly traded by the Packers due to them not wanting to resign him this off-season. The Packers currently have around $35 million in cap space but have many other positions to fill. The Redskins are expected to have around $18 million in cap space but that could increase with a renegotiation from Alex Smith. Defense isn’t their biggest priority after losing their quarterback for the foreseeable future. They likely aren’t going to make resigning Clinton-Dix a priority so he will likely hit the open market.

Stats

In Clinton-Dix’s 80 career games he’s racked up some solid statistics. He averages 91 tackles per season. With 14 interceptions and four forced fumbles, he has a knack for finding the football. He has yet to take one back to the house but he has racked up 5.5 sacks.

In 2016 Clinton-Dix was selected to participate in the Pro-Bowl. With 79 tackles, seven pass breakups, and five interceptions, both career highs, he was deserving of the honors. In week 15 of 2016, he earned his first and only NFC defensive player of the week recording five tackles, two pass deflections, and two interceptions.

This past season Clinton-Dix was rumored to be released especially after the Packers fired defensive coordinator Dom Capers. Mike McCarthy decided to keep him on the team and he rewarded the Packers with three interceptions in the first four weeks. They rewarded him by trading him four weeks later.

During his nine games with the Washington Redskins, he was as productive as always. In nine games Clinton-Dix had 65 tackles and three pass deflections. The Skins finished with the 15th ranked pass defense, which isn’t bad but compared to the Buccaneers that is a major improvement. Clinton-Dix could help the Bucs get back to at least decent again.

What Will It Cost?

Clinton-Dix is currently in the top tier of safeties in the NFL. That production will be costly. Currently, top end safeties are getting around $10 million per season. He’s still in his prime too so this is expected to be his big money contract. According to Spotrac, his contract is expected to be five years worth $48 million, around $9.7 per season. Will the Tampa Bay Buccaneers be able to afford that?

Final Verdict

The Buccaneers are in desperate need of help on the back end but Clinton-Dix will probably cost too much. The Buccaneers are strapped for cash this off-season and have bigger needs in the trenches. While Justin Evans and Jordan Whitehead were productive they could definitely use an upgrade. That is more likely to come in a familiar target Tyrann Mathieu than Clinton-Dix. While no one should be upset if the Bucs acquire the safety the money could be used better elsewhere.