The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were already going to have one of the most interesting young defenses in the NFL next year, and on Sunday morning they added another big piece by landing free agent T.J. Ward.
Ward, who went to three Pro Bowls in the last four years, was part of a roster crunch in Denver and released by the Broncos on Saturday afternoon as Denver and the rest of the NFL whittled its way down to a 53-man roster. Ward was an easy selection on Pete Prisco's All-Cut Team.
It was surprising to see Ward cut, but not that stunning of news because, as Prisco noted, Ward was rumored to be on the trade block earlier this week. "Some people had to be shocked to see him on this list, but when word came last week he was being shopped in trade talks, it was almost inevitable," Prisco wrote. "He's a good player who can help a team in need."
And Ward jumped quickly at a nice opportunity, signing with the Buccaneers on a one-year contract, as first reported by James Palmer of NFL Media. The deal is worth "up to" $4.5 million according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media.
Ward should battle with Chris Conte, Keith Tandy, Justin Evans and J.J. Wilcox for playing time in Tampa Bay, and stands a pretty good chance of finding himself at the top of the depth chart at some point in the near future. Conte and Tandy started for the Bucs last year
The last two seasons have seen Ward miss six total games and his play has dipped a little bit, but he is still one of the hardest-hitting safeties out there and should fit well into Mike Smith's defense. This is a group that was coming on strong down the stretch in 2016, looking like a team that could do some damage in a division loaded with quarterbacks.
During a five-game winning streak, the Bucs held the Bears (10), Chiefs (17), Seahawks (5) Chargers (21) and Saints (11) to 64 total points. Ward, who ranked 19th in run stop percentage according to Pro Football Focus, should help shore up the back end of the defense.
The Buccaneers were already a team on the brink of making a postseason run and/or challenging for the NFC South. They're not some Super Bowl favorite because of this move, but Ward certainly helps make them more dangerous than they were yesterday.