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After ending last season on a 10-game losing streak, no team needed more out of the NFL draft than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

On the surface, it looks like they got at least three starters in safety Mark Barron, running back Doug Martin and linebacker Lavonte David. Add them to key free-agent pickups Carl Nicks, Eric Wright and Vincent Jackson and Tampa Bay should have a very different look come September. Let’s take a look at what I suspect at the moment will be Tampa Bay’s starting lineup.

OFFENSE

• QB Josh Freeman

• RB Doug Martin (LeGarrette Blount will get some carries, but Martin’s an all-purpose back)

• FB Erik Lorig

• WR Vincent Jackson

• WR Mike Williams (he may have to beat out Arrelious Benn for the starting job)

• TE Kellen Winslow

• LT Donald Penn

• LG Carl Nicks

• C Jeremy Zuttah

• RG Davin Joseph

• RT Jeremy Trueblood

DEFENSE

• DE Adrian Clayborn

• DT Gerald McCoy

• DT Brian Price (Amobi Okoye will factor heavily in rotation and could start if injury woes continue for McCoy and Price)

• DE Michael Bennett (might have to beat out second-year pro Da’Quan Bowers in training camp)

• OLB Lavonte David

• MLB Mason Foster

• OLB Quincy Black

• CB Ronde Barber (if he doesn’t switch to safety)

• CB Eric Wright (Aqib Talib could factor in, but his future is uncertain)

• FS Cody Grimm

• SS Mark Barron

SPECIALISTS

• K Connor Barth

• P Michael Koenen

• KR Preston Parker (rookie Michael Smith also could factor into return game)

• PR Sammie Stroughter

Let's take a look at the Tuesday morning headlines from around the NFC South.

The Atlanta Falcons reportedly got a salary-cap credit of around $3 million for money former quarterback Michael Vick owed the franchise before filing bankruptcy following a conviction on dogfighting charges. After signing with the Philadelphia Eagles, Vick and the Falcons reached a settlement in which he would repay some of the $130 million contract he signed with Atlanta. The Falcons now are about $4 million under the salary cap.

John DeShazier writes that it’s time for the NFL to announce whatever player penalties are coming for the Saints’ bounty program. I couldn’t agree more. This thing has dragged on way too long. Wednesday will be two months since the NFL announced its first report on the bounty program. Penalties for the organization, coaches and general manager Mickey Loomis were announced more than a month ago. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said last week that the investigation was in its final stages and I understand if the league didn’t want to make an announcement that would overshadow all the good publicity that comes with its college draft. But the draft is over. It’s time to let the Saints -- and potentially other teams -- know if they need to prepare to play without suspended players this season.

The Falcons announced Monday that tight end Ryan Winterswyk, who spent part of last season on the practice squad, has been placed on the reserve/retired list. If Winterswyk decides to return to football, the Falcons still hold his rights.

Undrafted free-agent receiver Brenton Bersin might have had a little advantage when he was signed by the Carolina Panthers. Bersin grew up two doors away from Panthers owner Jerry Richardson. Bersin also attended Wofford College. That’s where the Panthers have held training camp since coming into the league in 1995. Wofford also is Richardson’s alma mater and where team president Danny Morrison once worked as athletic director. But don’t accuse the Panthers of showing favoritism for a neighborhood kid. Bersin earned the right for a shot at the NFL. He had a great career at Wofford and also drew interest from several other NFL teams.

The arrival of rookies Mark Barron and Lavonte David could mean possible position switches for cornerback Ronde Barber and middle linebacker Mason Foster aren’t coming. There had been some talk of Barber moving to safety and Foster to outside linebacker. Barron should start immediately at strong safety and the Bucs have Cody Grimm at free safety. That could allow Barber to stay at cornerback. David projects as an instant starter at outside linebacker and the Bucs should be able to keep Foster at middle linebacker.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Before he was even asked a question about his first pick as coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Greg Schiano was painting a portrait that probably still is invisible to most Tampa Bay fans.

Schiano had just stunned his fan base -- and probably the rest of the world -- by taking Alabama safety Mark Barron at No. 7. A safety at No. 7? This guy had better be the second coming of Ronnie Lott and Ed Reed put together or, at very least, John Lynch Jr. You don’t take a safety at No. 7, and say you gladly would have taken him at No. 5, unless you think he’s special. Schiano and general manager Mark Dominik definitely thought Barron was special.

“I think he fits into what we do defensively perfectly,’’ Schiano said. “You couldn’t draw it up any better.’’

That probably doesn’t excite you, especially if you wanted the Bucs to stay put at No. 5 and draft LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne. And I know there was a contingent of Tampa Bay fans who thought Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly would be a perfect fit after the Bucs traded out of No. 5 and Claiborne went to Dallas at No. 6.

Either of those would have fit the profile of what we’ve come to expect from the Buccaneers, stretching back to Tony Dungy, running through the Jon Gruden era (with Monte Kiffin as the bridge) and right through the ugly final days of Raheem Morris.

But here’s the thing: Those days are over. This is Schiano’s team now.

Unless you’re a die-hard Rutgers fan, you don’t have any clue what a Schiano team looks like. Even if all your Knights are scarlet, you might see some changes as Schiano adjusts to the NFL. He’s not about to publicly share his X's and O's, but he certainly has implied this team is going to look a lot different in a lot of ways. Believe it or not, that might start at safety because Barron is going to be tied to Schiano forever, for better or worse.

“I think our safeties have to be more dynamic than in most schemes,’’ Schiano said.

At 6-foot-1 and 213 pounds, Barron is big enough to play in the box and make an impact on a run defense that needs improvement. With 12 career interceptions, Barron also has shown the ability to make plays in coverage.

“He needs to be able to do a lot of things, and he is capable of them,’’ Schiano said.

He’s going to have to cover wide receivers man to man, Schiano said. That’s a change from the days of Kiffin’s Cover 2, when safeties picked up wide receivers only after they got past the cornerbacks and Lynch often played the role of a linebacker. That may not be enough in an NFC South in which Drew Brees has thrown for 5,000 yards in a season and Cam Newton and Matt Ryan can put up big numbers. In case you haven’t noticed, that’s not just an NFC South trend. All around the league, teams are throwing the heck out of the ball.

“Safety has become an extremely important position now,’’ Dominik said.

More important than cornerback? Where the Bucs have Eric Wright, an aging Ronde Barber and a question mark in Aqib Talib?

Obviously, the Bucs think so. Dominik said the Bucs would have chosen Barron at No. 5 if they had stayed put. That means they would have chosen him over Claiborne, who was widely considered the best cornerback in this draft.

That’s a pretty strong statement from a team that has chosen only two defensive backs in the first round in its history and both of those were cornerbacks. There’s even a bit more pure football logic about this pick.

The Bucs had a big need at safety after releasing Tanard Jackson. They were left with Cody Grimm, a possible move to safety by Barber and not much else. Barron fills that need.

But I don’t think this pick was completely about X's and O's and pure football ability.

I think the selection of Barron was another sign that Schiano is going to do things much differently than in the past. Something obviously cooled the Bucs on Claiborne. Maybe it was that he reportedly had a low Wonderlic score or maybe it was something else.

Schiano said he and Dominik saw sparks the first time they watched film of Barron. By the time they interviewed him at the combine, there was a flame. As they talked about Barron, Schiano and Dominik both mentioned that he was a two-time captain for a team that won two national championships during his stint.

“He fits who we are and what we are,’’ Schiano said.

I get the impression Schiano cares a lot about what guys bring as players, but I’m getting an even stronger sense he cares about what they bring as people and how that can translate into winning. That’s sort of a new concept around here, at least since the Dungy days.

“He fits who we are and what we are,’’ Schiano said.

In other words, the Bucs think Barron can step right in and be a leader on a team that desperately lacked leadership and personality in the Morris days.

“Our coaches are excited to get their hands on him and mold him into a Buccaneer Man,’’ Dominik said.

We’ve heard the phrase “Buccaneer Man’’ a lot since Schiano took over. The problem is we have no idea what the new Buccaneer Man is supposed to be. But now we’re starting to get a bit of a portrait.

With Barron, there’s a face and maybe an outline of a body and a personality. Looks a little like a good athlete, a natural leader and a guy who was asking if there was a way to get his hands on a playbook Thursday night, even though he’s scheduled to fly to Tampa first thing Friday morning.

Maybe the Barron pick doesn’t look so bad -- or blank -- after all.

TAMPA, Fla. – A lot of people thought the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would end up with the best cornerback in the draft. Instead, they wound up with the best safety.

After trading down from No. 5 to No. 7, the Bucs drafted Alabama safety Mark Barron.

That may come as a surprise to those who expected Tampa Bay to come away with LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne. But maybe the Bucs weren’t as sold on Claiborne as everyone thought.

They must have been sold on Barron. Not sure this will fly with fans, but Barron does fill a big need. The Bucs released safety Tanard Jackson recently. Aside from Cody Grimm, they have very little else at safety.

I’ll be back with much more analysis on this after we hear from coach Greg Schiano and general manager Mark Dominik and get Barron on a conference call.

TAMPA, Fla. – The few times he’s spoken publicly since taking over as coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Greg Schiano has emphasized that he’s giving all of his players a clean slate.

That’s all true, but it appears he also is sending a message to his players, they’re gone as soon as that slate gets messy.

General manager Mark Dominik was vague when announcing Tuesday morning that safety Tanard Jackson was being released. Dominik said that Jackson, who was coming back from a shoulder injury, was released after failing a physical.

Dominik also emphasized that there were no indications that Jackson, who previously was suspended for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy, had failed any new drug test or that any disciplinary action was coming from the NFL.

“What’s important to us as an organization is the growth of our football players,’’ Dominik said. “And how they handle on and off the field to become the best Buccaneer possible. That’s what we’re looking for.’’

I think it’s pretty easy to read between the lines on this one. Although the Bucs started their offseason program and Jackson had been attending, he hadn’t made a good early impression on Schiano. Injured players were allowed into One Buccaneer Place for rehabilitation throughout the offseason. I’m guessing Jackson wasn’t showing up regularly for that or wasn’t putting a great deal of effort into his rehabilitation.

This move seems to be a big departure from the philosophy of former coach Raheem Morris. The Bucs had numerous off-field issues, including problems with Jackson and cornerback Aqib Talib, but Morris always seemed willing to bring troubled players back.

Schiano seems to be following a one-strike policy and I don’t think the Jackson move will be the last. Talib has a trial on an assault charge in Texas in June. Talib could face prison time or a suspension by the NFL. Even if Talib is cleared, I think the message already has been sent by Schiano that there can’t be any more off-field problems.

Talent and athletic ability no longer are going to be enough to keep a payer on Tampa Bay’s roster. Jackson is proof of that. He easily was Tampa Bay’s best safety.

The Bucs have starter Cody Grimm returning from injury. They also have young safeties Larry Asante, Ahmad Black and Devin Holland. There also has been speculation that veteran cornerback Ronde Barber could move to safety.

But the Bucs almost certainly will look for more safety help in the draft or free agency.

Jackson had been scheduled to count $2.95 million against this year’s salary cap. By releasing Jackson, the Bucs will free up $2.75 million in salary cap space, but they do have to absorb a $200,000 roster bonus that was paid to Jackson on the first day of the league year in March.

The NFC South might not have a true standout safety, but it has plenty of durable ones.

Five division safeties participated in more than 90 percent of their team’s defensive plays in 2011. We’ll wrap up our series, which started last week, of playing time at every position with the safeties. Special thanks to NFC South Blog unofficial (and unpaid) intern Chris Walker from Saint Leo University for helping tabulate the results.

Carolina’s Sherrod Martin led all division safeties by participating in 96.8 percent of the defensive snaps. That percentage ranked No. 18 in the NFL as Martin was on the field for 990 of Carolina’s 1,023 defensive snaps.

Atlanta’s Thomas DeCoud (94.9 percent), Tampa Bay’s Sean Jones (93.8), New Orleans’ Roman Harper (93.2) and New Orleans’ Malcolm Jenkins (91.3) also were among the league leaders. Carolina’s Charles Godfrey wasn’t far behind them at 83.7 percent.

Here’s a look at some other NFC South safeties who got at least moderate playing time:

• William Moore, Falcons, 59.5
• Tanard Jackson, Buccaneers, 49.9
• James Sanders, Falcons, 45.2
• Corey Lynch, Buccaneers, 26
• Jordan Pugh, Panthers, 23.8
• Cody Grimm, Buccaneers, 16.7

TAMPA, Fla. – After practicing just three days in the last 56 weeks, safety Tanard Jackson will be in Tampa Bay’s starting lineup Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.

Jackson was reinstated by the NFL on Tuesday, after serving a suspension of slightly more than one year for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. Jackson returned to practice Wednesday and the Bucs made the decision to activate him to the 53-man roster Friday.

Cody Grimm, who had been starting at the free safety spot, already is out for the season with an injury. The Bucs had been getting by with Corey Lynch and Larry Asante sharing playing time at that spot.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers just announced they have activated safety Tanard Jackson to their 53-man roster, meaning he can play in Sunday’s game with New Orleans.

Jackson was reinstated by the NFL on Tuesday after being suspended for more than a year following a repeat violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. The Bucs had a roster exemption that allowed them to let Jackson practice for two weeks before activating him.

But there’s urgency to get Jackson onto the field because his replacement Cody Grimm is out with a season-ending injury. Corey Lynch and Larry Asante have been sharing the safety spot opposite Sean Jones. Before the suspension, Jackson was considered a rising star and some said he was the best safety in the NFC South.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Safety Tanard Jackson went through his first full practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Wednesday and coach Raheem Morris said it’s possible Jackson could play in Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints.

Jackson was reinstated Tuesday after serving a suspension of a little over a year for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. The Bucs have yet to place him on the active roster and have a two-week window to do so. But Morris sounded impressed with what he saw in practice.

“He looked good, he looked great," Morris said. “He came back, he looked healthy. He ran around well. When you have good coaches, a lot of stuff doesn’t leave you and he’s had a couple of good ones. He’ll have the ability to retain a lot of information and get back into the fold. We’re fired up to have him back. Getting him back is like getting a younger brother back for me so it’s awesome.

It may sound a little unrealistic to throw Jackson into action after only a couple days of practice. But my read on this is that it’s a real possibility. Before his suspension, Jackson was the best safety in the NFC South. His replacement, Cody Grimm, already has suffered a season-ending injury and the Bucs have been getting by with Corey Lynch and Larry Asante.

The Bucs know what Jackson can do and their defensive system hasn’t had any major changes while he was out.

“We know how good a player Tanard is,’’ Morris said. “There’s no secret about that. He’s done a great job getting his body ready to practice and play. [We will] make that decision at the end of the week.’’

Coming off a 48-3 loss to San Francisco, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are getting some good news.

Adam Schefter, citing a league source, reports safety Tanard Jackson has been reinstated by the NFL. Jackson was suspended last September for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.

It’s unclear whether Jackson will be in football shape right away and ready to play Sunday when the Bucs host the New Orleans Saints. But, whenever Jackson is ready, he should provide a big boost to the defense.

Before the suspension, Jackson was considered one of the league’s top young safeties. He never was charged with any criminal activity, but ran afoul of the substance abuse policy at least twice to draw a one-year suspension.

The Bucs are not expected to release Jackson, who remains under contract for the rest of this season. Team officials haven’t been allowed to have contact with Jackson during the suspension. The Bucs likely want to talk with Jackson and get a read on his physical conditioning before deciding how quickly they want to activate him.

Cody Grimm, who took Jackson’s place last year, is injured and out for the rest of this season. Since Grimm’s injury, the Bucs have been using Corey Lynch and Larry Asante at safety.

Time for a look at the top headlines from around the NFC South.

Although rookie Mark Ingram had 17 carries Sunday and Pierre Thomas had just six, coach Sean Payton said there’s no set formula for dividing the carries between the running backs. Payton said the way the game unfolds determines that. Against Jacksonville, the Saints faced a lot of short-yardage situations and the Saints use Ingram more in the short-yardage game.

Carolina receiver Steve Smith appears happier than he has seemed in recent years, according to Jordan Gross, who has played with Smith in college and with the Panthers. Smith has reason to be happy. With Cam Newton, he has a quarterback who can get him the ball and Smith is putting up the kind of numbers he did earlier in his career.

Broadcaster Rodney Harrison, a former player, picks the Packers to beat the Falcons on Sunday night. Can’t really argue with his logic based on last season’s playoff game and the way the Falcons have started this season. But I’ve got a hunch we might see Atlanta start to put things together this week.

Before the playoff loss to the Packers, Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan won his two head-to-head meetings with Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers. Ryan said he used the playoff loss as motivation throughout the offseason.

The Panthers continue to tweak their roster. They signed defensive end Antwan Applewhite and claimed safety Jermale Hines off waivers from the Colts. Applewhite played for San Diego when Carolina coach Ron Rivera was with the Chargers.

Tampa Bay’s coaching staff was happy with the play of Corey Lynch and Larry Asante, who shared playing time at safety after the Bucs lost Cody Grimm to injury for the rest of the season.

Tampa Bay’s investments in the front four during the last two drafts seem to be paying off. The Bucs have allowed only 92 rushing yards in the last two games. The Bucs already have 10 sacks after recording 10 all of last season.

TAMPA, Fla. -- I’m out at One Buccaneer Place to gather some preview material for Monday night’s game with the Colts.

But first, let’s log in a few roster moves that are not big surprises. The Bucs just formally announced safety Cody Grimm has been placed on the injured reserve list. He injured his knee in Sunday’s game. The Bucs filled Grimm’s roster spot by promoting tight end Collin Franklin from the practice squad. They also signed offensive lineman Zane Taylor to take Franklin’s spot on the practice squad.

Also, the Saints reportedly placed kicker Garrett Hartley on the injured reserve list. Hartley suffered a hip injury in the preseason. That means veteran John Kasay, who was signed as a temporary fill-in, will remain as the team’s kicker. Kasay got off to a rough start in the preseason, but has kicked well through the first three games of the regular season.

Let's take a look at the top headlines from around the NFC South.

The Panthers got some good news on the injury front. Safety Charles Godfrey and cornerback Chris Gamble have been cleared to return to practice Wednesday.

Although DeAngelo Williams has rushed for just 61 yards through three games, he will remain as Carolina’s starting running back. Coach Ron Rivera said Williams’ lack of production is because he hasn’t had holes to run through.

The Buccaneers still are waiting for full results from tests on the knee of safety Cody Grimm. Coach Raheem Morris said there definitely is damage to the MCL and there could be other issues. It sounds like the Bucs are expecting to be without Grimm for an extended period and they likely will turn to Corey Lynch to take his place.

Atlanta free safety Thomas DeCoud was back in the starting lineup Sunday against Tampa Bay after being benched in favor of veteran James Sanders in Week 2. DeCoud had an interception against the Bucs. But there are no guarantees. The Falcons are treating this as a weekly competition between DeCoud and Sanders and whichever one practices better during the week will get to start.

When the Saints made their game-winning drive Sunday, coach Sean Payton wasn’t calling the plays. That job fell to quarterback Drew Brees as the Saints went to the no-huddle offense. Brees made the calls on the field and the Saints marched 93 yards for a touchdown.

TAMPA, Fla. – There was a bit of troubling news out of Tampa Bay’s locker room after the Buccaneers defeated the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

Safety Cody Grimm injured his knee in the second half and was carted off the field.

“Obviously, it didn’t look good,’’ coach Raheem Morris said. “But it’s the next-man-up theory. Here we go.’’

Morris said he hadn’t had a chance to talk to team doctors about the full extent of Grimm’s injury, but the coach didn’t sound all that optimistic. A second-year pro, Grimm moved into a starting role as a rookie.

After he left the game, Corey Lynch took his place. Lynch is primarily a special-teams player and the Bucs also could turn to Larry Asante, who was inactive Sunday, if Graham is out for any extended period. Rookie Devin Holland also is on the roster.

But there’s also a wild-card possibility. Tanard Jackson was suspended last September for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. The league said the length of Jackson’s suspension was one year. That time period has passed, but the league has yet to say anything about Jackson being reinstated.

That’s a decision that will be up to commissioner Roger Goodell and it will depend largely on if Jackson has met all the requirements the league placed upon him during the suspension.

If Grimm is out for a long time, getting Jackson back could be a huge boost for the Bucs. Before the suspension, he was their best safety. But the Bucs have said all along that Jackson’s possible return is out of their control. They’ve said repeatedly that they have to plan to go on without him and, if Jackson does return, it’s a bonus.

» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 3:

Looking back, but not too far. The Saints will wear their throwback uniforms Sunday against the Texans. But New Orleans fans better hope the defense doesn’t turn back the clock too far. The Saints need to play defense the same way they did in last week’s victory against Chicago. Houston has plenty of offensive weapons and the Saints can’t afford to play the way they did in the season opener against Green Bay. It should help significantly that defensive end Will Smith is back after serving a two-game suspension.

One-sided rivalry. Tampa Bay hasn’t won against Atlanta since Jon Gruden was coaching the Buccaneers. The Falcons have won five in a row. Here’s a little tip for Bucs coach Raheem Morris: Try getting your offense on track in the first half. Josh Freeman can rally his team from a 17-point deficit against a team like the Vikings. That’s probably not going to work against the Falcons, who are a little bit better than Minnesota.

Shooting for 30. The Saints can make some franchise history if they score 30 points against the Texans. It would mark the first time the Saints have scored 30 or more points in each of their first three games.

Revisiting the 1995 expansion. The Jaguars and Panthers both came into the league in 1995. The Jaguars have had more regular-season success. They’re 134-124, while the Panthers are 119-139. The Jaguars also hold a 3-1 advantage in head-to-head play. But the Panthers have reached a Super Bowl and the Jaguars haven’t. I give a big edge to the Panthers in this one because their rookie quarterback (Cam Newton) already has shown he can play in this league. Jacksonville’s rookie, Blaine Gabbert, will be making his first start.

Whatever happened to Roddy White? The Atlanta receiver had 115 catches last season. Through the first two games, White has only 11 catches. He has been targeted on only one throw of more than 15 yards and that pass was incomplete. History has shown that you can’t keep White quiet for long. He and Tampa Bay cornerback Aqib Talib are two guys who like to talk and their matchup could be interesting. But the real key could be if Bucs safeties Cody Grimm and Sean Jones are able to continue the trend of keeping White from getting open downfield.