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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

We ran through the NFC South portion of Todd McShay’s latest mock draft earlier. Now, let’s turn to ESPN’s other draft guru.

Check out this Insider post in which Mel Kiper Jr. unveils his latest mock draft . Kiper differs significantly from McShay when it comes to the only two NFC South teams with first-round picks.

In Kiper’s draft, LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne and Alabama running back Trent Richardson are gone before the Bucs pick at No. 5. As recently as a week ago, the consensus was at least one of those two players would be available for the Bucs. But the consensus seems to be changing and I’m sure the Bucs have been preparing themselves for all scenarios.

Kiper gave the USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil to the Bucs and I don’t think that’s at all out of the realm of possibility. Yeah, Tampa Bay could take Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly and fill a big need. Or the Bucs could take Oklahoma State receiver Justin Blackmon to give quarterback Josh Freeman another play-maker to go with Vincent Jackson.

But Kalil makes some sense. He’s viewed as pretty much a can’t-miss prospect. The Bucs already have Donald Penn at left tackle, but right tackle Jeremy Trueblood is a bit of a question mark and he’s heading into the final year of his contract. Kalil could step in and play the left side immediately and Penn could switch to the right side. Or Penn could stay on the left side for now and let Kalil begin his career on the right side.

At No. 9, Kiper, who had been giving the Panthers a steady diet of defensive tackles in the past, made a significant change. He has the Panthers taking Kuechly. Makes total sense. Kuechly might be the best player on the board at that point and the Panthers have linebackers Thomas Davis and Jon Beason returning from major injuries.

But I also could see Carolina going with South Carolina cornerback Stephon Gilmore or North Carolina defensive end Quinton Coples if Kiper’s first eight picks come true.

Todd McShay has his latest mock draft out and it includes some major changes from what he’s had in the past for the NFC South.

This draft goes seven rounds deep and McShay has help from Steve Meunch and Kevin Weidl. But we’ll just focus on the first round here and that means we’re talking about the Bucs and Panthers, the only two division teams with first-round picks.

It long has been thought that Tampa Bay’s choice at No. 5 would come down to LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne and Alabama running back Trent Richardson. But McShay is buying into growing speculation that Minnesota is going to throw off the direction many saw this draft going. McShay now has the Vikings taking Claiborne at No. 3. He follows that up by giving Richardson to Cleveland at No. 4.

Then he goes in a direction that many suddenly seem to be headed. He has Tampa Bay taking Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly at No. 5. I don’t have a big problem with that scenario, assuming new coach Greg Schiano’s defense is ready to put increased emphasis on the middle linebacker position. Back in the Cover 2 days, middle linebacker wasn’t all that important and the Bucs relied on outside linebacker Derrick Brooks to make the big plays.

If the Bucs want a strong presence and are willing to make a significant investment on middle linebacker, then go with Kuechly. He’s viewed as a can’t-miss prospect with no real questions on or off the field. (That in itself would be a departure from the approach Tampa Bay took with some picks in the past.)

But, I also see some other scenarios for the Bucs if Claiborne and Richardson are gone. They probably could trade down a few picks and still get Kuechly and they also would add a pick or two.

Even if the Bucs stay put, I’m not certain Kuechly really is the guy they would take. They at least would have to consider Southern California offensive tackle Matt Kalil or Oklahoma State receiver Justin Blackmon. Neither plays a position where the Bucs have a huge need, but they might be hard to pass up. Kalil is viewed as the kind of guy who can be an elite left tackle for a decade.

The Bucs are pretty well set on the offensive line. The interior is very strong and left tackle Donald Penn is above average. Right tackle Jeremy Trueblood is a bit of a question mark. The Bucs could take Kalil and start him off on the right side and eventually have him switch spots with Penn. Or the Bucs could take Kalil and switch Penn, who has a history of getting off to fast starts and then not playing as well down the stretch, to the right side. That could give them one of the league’s best offensive lines and it’s become clear one of Schiano’s priorities is to structure this team to help quarterback Josh Freeman.

Speaking of helping Freeman, Blackmon also could do that. I know the Bucs just signed Vincent Jackson and they have a bunch of young guys with potential. But Mike Williams and Arrelious Benn haven’t really shown they are big-time players. The Bucs already have given Freeman one big playmaker in Jackson. They could give him two if they take Blackmon.

McShay also departs from previous conventional wisdom by selecting South Carolina cornerback Stephon Gilmore for Carolina at No. 9. There are rumblings that Gilmore is a player on the rise. He’s also a local kid. He grew up just over the South Carolina border in what qualifies as a suburb of Charlotte. Cornerback is certainly a need and owner Jerry Richardson likes to bring in players from the Carolinas. I can see this one happening. But there’s another local guy who could be in the mix. That’s North Carolina defensive end Quinton Coples. General manager Marty Hurney and coach Ron Rivera drove up to Chapel Hill for a meeting with Coples on Monday and I don’t think they would have made that trip if they weren’t seriously considering him.

Let’s take a look at some notes and headlines from around the NFC South.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have kept alive their streak of not giving a single signing bonus in this free-agency period. According to contract details obtained by ESPN.com, defensive tackle Amobi Okoye signed a one-year deal and is scheduled to earn $1.8 million ($700,000 of it guaranteed) in base salary. Okoye also can pick up an extra $200,000 for taking part in the majority of the team’s offseason workouts. Okoye didn’t receive a signing bonus. Neither did free agents Vincent Jackson, Carl Nicks and Eric Wright. Neither did cornerback Ronde Barber when he re-signed with the team. This is a pretty unique approach by the Bucs, and it doesn’t seem to have prevented them from landing free agents. While other teams are offering big signing bonuses to spread out pro-rated salary cap hits over the life of the contract, the Bucs are stepping up and putting big base salaries in the first year or two of their deals.

In this radio interview, New Orleans safety Malcolm Jenkins says he has confidence the rest of the coaching staff can handle the team in the absence of coach Sean Payton. But Jenkins also said it’s up to the players to step up and take on more of a leadership role. Get ready to hear a lot more along these same lines. It’s already becoming clear the Saints are planning to use their adversity as motivation.

Bradley Handwerger writes that the Saints sent a very clear message that this is still Payton’s team by announcing assistant head coach Joe Vitt will take over as interim head coach. Vitt has been Payton’s top assistant since they arrived together in New Orleans. Vitt isn’t likely to change much of anything, and Payton’s system will remain intact while he serves a season-long suspension.

The Buccaneers had USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil in for a visit this month. Don’t get too excited, because the Bucs simply are doing their homework. Most speculation has had Kalil going before the Bucs pick at No. 5. But there’s been some growing speculation Kalil could slip a bit. If LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne and Alabama running back Trent Richardson go before Tampa Bay picks, it’s at least possible the Bucs could take Kalil. They appear to be set with Donald Penn at left tackle. But right tackle Jeremy Trueblood is heading into the last year of his contract, and is the biggest question mark on the offensive line. The Bucs have been investing a lot in their offensive line. I wouldn’t totally rule out the possibility of them taking Kalil if he falls to them.

Check out this inspirational story to find out what former Carolina defensive back Reggie Howard is doing in his post-football life.

The Panthers officially announced the re-signing of linebacker Jordan Senn. He played well last season after the Panthers had a bunch of injuries at linebacker, and coach Ron Rivera said Senn would have a shot at a starting job this season. But the Panthers didn’t pay Senn anything close to starter money. According to contract details obtained by ESPN.com, Senn will make $700,000 in base salary on his one-year deal. The Panthers again took advantage of the veteran minimum salary benefit. That means Senn’s base salary will count only $540,000 against the salary cap. He also got a $65,000 signing bonus, and his total cap figure will be $605,000.

Former Tampa Bay defensive tackle Warren Sapp spoke out for the first time since news of his bankruptcy filing broke. Sapp said a bad investment in the construction business started his financial troubles. He said he didn’t want to file bankruptcy, but his only other option was going to jail. Sapp said he doesn’t know if he’ll remain with NFL Network, but pledged to work his way through his problems.

PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers just announced two transactions.

The first is no big surprise. We told you last week that cornerback Ronde Barber had agreed to terms on a one-year deal that would bring him back to the Buccaneers for a 16^th season. That deal now officially has been signed, the team said.

The Bucs also announced that reserve offensive lineman DeMar Dotson has agreed to a two-year contract. Dotson had been tendered as a restricted free agent.

Dotson’s signing enhances the depth on a Tampa Bay offensive line that has a chance to be very good. Dotson, who appeared in 13 games last season and started two, is viewed as a young player with high upside. He and the recently-signed Jamon Meredith likely will be the two backups behind starters Donald Penn and Jeremy Trueblood at tackle.

After adding guard Carl Nicks in free agency, the Bucs appear loaded in the middle of the line. Nicks and Davin Joseph will be the starting guards and Jeremy Zuttah, who has played both center and guard, will become the full-time starter at center.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers just announced a few minor roster moves.

They have signed free-agent offensive tackle Jamon Meredith to a two-year deal and released defensive ends Tim Crowder and Nick Reed.

Meredith is a four-year veteran, but has appeared in only 17 games with four career starts. He was with Pittsburgh last season. It’s pretty obvious the Bucs are looking at Meredith as possible depth behind starting tackles Donald Penn and Jeremy Trueblood.

Crowder spent the past three seasons with the Buccaneers and made 13 starts. But Crowder became expendable because the Bucs are very high on young defensive ends Adrian Clayborn, Da’Quan Bowers and Michael Bennett. Reed, who joined the team for the final three games of last season and played sparingly, was even more expendable.

The Bucs freed up $1 million in cap space with Crowder’s release and $540,000 by letting Reed go. We don’t know the details of Meredith’s contract yet, but it’s likely to be for somewhere near the minimum. We also don't know exact details of the one-year contract cornerback Ronde Barber signed Wednesday night. But the Bucs had just under $16 million in cap space before those moves.

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ agreement with wide receiver Vincent Jackson on Tuesday night was big. Their signing of guard Carl Nicks on Wednesday morning might be even bigger.

Yeah, I know it’s hard to imagine the arrival of a guard topping the presence of a receiver who has a history of making big plays down the field. But the Bucs just might have pulled off that trick by signing Nicks to a five-year deal that’s worth $47.5 million.

Jackson was perhaps the top receiver in free agency. But Nicks is pretty much the unquestioned best guard in the NFL.

He’s also only 26 and may be just hitting his prime. Jackson is going to give quarterback Josh Freeman a big target downfield and, in theory, should open things up for the rest of the receiving corps. But Nicks might end up being even more important.

He’s going to give Freeman plenty of time to find targets downfield. Nicks is dominating as a pass-blocker. He’s also dominant as a run-blocker. The Saints averaged more than 6 yards per carry when running to Nicks’ side last season.

With Nicks and Davin Joseph, the Bucs now have two of the NFC’s Pro Bowl guards from last season. They’ll move Jeremy Zuttah from guard to center. They’ve also got Donald Penn, who is an above-average left tackle. Right tackle Jeremy Trueblood has taken lots of criticism in the past, but his level of play should improve with those four guys around him.

We’ll see how it all shakes out in time. But, on paper, the Bucs suddenly have what could be one of the NFL’s best offensive lines. New coach Greg Schiano has pledged to make the Bucs more physical in all areas, and the arrival of Nicks certainly makes the offensive line much more physical.

But this move has implications beyond Tampa Bay. The loss of Nicks is a blow to the Saints. They wanted to keep him, but found it impossible with a tight salary-cap situation. Nicks also fell third in the pecking order after the Saints put the franchise tag on quarterback Drew Brees and re-signed receiver Marques Colston.

With Nicks and Jahri Evans, the Saints had what many said was the best guard tandem in the league. Nicks and Evans made tackles Jermon Bushrod and Zach Strief and center Brian De La Puente look better than they really are. The Saints have Baltimore's Ben Grubbs in for a visit, and he's decent.

Evans remains and he’s very good. But the Saints no longer have the best guard in the league.

The Bucs do.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are likely to release veteran center Jeff Faine prior to the start of free agency Tuesday afternoon, according to this report by Stephen Holder.

Although Tampa Bay is roughly $43 million under the salary cap and doesn’t have to make any moves prior to free agency, there seems to be logic to this move.

Faine will turn 31 in April. Although he started 15 games last season, he dealt with injury problems in the seasons before that. Then there’s the financial aspect. Since the Bucs already have absorbed all the prorations on Faine’s contract, there would be no salary-cap implications if they release him. In fact, they instantly would clear up $5.925 million in cap room.

The Bucs recently signed Jeremy Zuttah, who played guard in the past, to a new contract. Zuttah played for new coach Greg Schiano at Rutgers and it appears the Bucs could be preparing to move him to center, a position he has sometimes played in the past.

With the extra cap room, the Bucs could do something dramatic and pursue New Orleans’ Carl Nicks, who is expected to become an unrestricted free agent. If the Bucs landed Nicks, they could weaken the Saints.

Nicks and Tampa Bay right guard Davin Joseph both were on the NFC’s Pro Bowl roster last season. Put those two on the flanks of Zuttah and throw in Donald Penn, who is viewed as an above-average left tackle, and the Bucs could have the makings of a very good offensive line. Right tackle Jeremy Trueblood is far from a star, but his level of play could improve with better players around him.

Time to take a look at the NFC South players that are scheduled to have the highest 2012 salary-cap figures.

Let’s be clear, these numbers are not what the players will actually make in 2012. These numbers simply reflect what they’ll count against the salary cap. And let’s also be clear that this list isn’t quite complete. You can bet Drew Brees will be on here once the quarterback signs a new deal with the New Orleans Saints. There also are some guys that probably will be cut or have their contracts restructured before the start of the year. Tampa Bay defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth is a perfect example of that.

He’s scheduled to count $7.2 million. The Bucs can release him without any salary-cap hit. It’s a similar situation for Carolina linebacker Thomas Davis, who is scheduled to count $5.9 million. Davis is coming off his third torn ACL in two years and is due a big bonus in March. I seriously doubt he’ll get to collect that bonus.

Anyway, as it stands right now, Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan is the easy winner for the NFC South’s highest cap figure. He’s scheduled to count $13.5 million toward the cap ($11.5 million in base salary and another $2 million in prorated bonus money). Aside from Ryan, 30 other NFC South players are scheduled to count more than $5 million toward the salary cap. Let’s take a look:

• Jordan Gross, Panthers, $11.5 million

• Charles Johnson, Panthers, $11 million

• Steve Smith, Panthers, $10.7 million

• Will Smith, Saints, $10.15 million

• Chris Gamble, Panthers, $9.75 million

• Davin Joseph, Buccaneers, $9.5 million

• Gerald McCoy, Buccaneers, $9.44 million

• DeAngelo Williams, Panthers, $8.7 million

• Josh Freeman, Buccaneers, $8.545 million

• Roddy White, Falcons, $8.03 million

• Jonathan Vilma, Saints, $7.63 million

• Travelle Wharton, Panthers, $7.6 million

• Sedrick Ellis, Saints, $7.6 million

• Albert Haynesworth, Buccaneers, $7.2 million

• Dunta Robinson, Falcons, $7 million

• Jermon Bushrod, Saints, $6.9 million

• Donald Penn, Buccaneers, $6.43 million

• Roman Harper, Saints, $6.35 million

• Jabari Greer, Saints, $6.25 million

• Jeff Faine, Buccaneers, $5.925 million

• Tony Gonzalez, Falcons, $5.92 million

• Thomas Davis, Panthers, $5.9 million

• Quincy Black, Buccaneers, $5.75 million

• Jon Beason, Panthers, $5.5 million

• Ryan Kalil, Panthers, $5.35 million

• Justin Blalock, Falcons, $5.3 million

• Jeremy Trueblood, Buccaneers, $5.25 million

• Jahri Evans, Saints, $5.2 million

• Cam Newton $5.01 million

In recent days, I’ve been sharing some details on 2011 playing time at various positions. We’ll continue to do that going forward and still have to touch on NFC South fullbacks and all the defensive positions.

But this is Iron Man Day, so we’re going to talk about offensive linemen. As a general rule, offensive linemen get a greater percentage of playing time than players at all the other positions. That’s part of the nature of the position -- teams want continuity.

In 2011, 42 NFL players took part in 100 percent of their teams offensive and defensive snaps. New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, Cleveland linebacker D’Qwell Jackson, St. Louis linebacker James Laurinitis, Chicago linebacker Lance Briggs, Washington linebacker Ryan Kerrigan and Tennessee cornerback Cortland Finnegan all deserve special mention for taking part in 100 percent of their team’s snaps at positions where that’s pretty rare.

Aside from those six players, 36 others took part in all of their team’s offensive plays. All of them were offensive linemen and seven of them were from the NFC South.

Carolina guard Geoff Hangartner, Atlanta guard Justin Blalock, New Orleans guard Carl Nicks, Tampa Bay guard Davin Joseph, Atlanta tackle Tyson Clabo, New Orleans tackle Jermon Bushrod and Tampa Bay tackle Donald Penn each took part in every one of their team’s offensive snaps.

Several other NFC South offensive linemen also came close to achieving that honor. Here’s a look at the other NFC South linemen that played more than 90 percent of their team’s offensive snaps.

• Carolina center Ryan Kalil, 99.3.

• New Orleans guard Jahri Evans, 96.8.

• Carolina guard Travelle Wharton, 95.6.

• Carolina tackle Jordan Gross, 92.5.

• Tampa Bay tackle Jeremy Trueblood, 92.1.

• Tampa Bay center Jeff Faine, 90.5.

ATLANTA -- As expected, the Buccaneers will be without injured receiver Arrelious Benn and right tackle Jeremy Trueblood in Sunday’s game with the Falcons.

Both players have been declared inactive. Preston Parker and Dezmon Briscoe will get more playing time with Benn out. James Lee is expected to start in Trueblood’s place.

Also inactive for the Bucs are quarterback Rudy Carpenter, receiver Sammie Stroughter, cornerback Anthony Gaitor, defensive end Daniel Te’o-Nesheim and offensive tackle Derek Hardman.

The final injury reports are out for Sunday’s games, so let’s take a look at the most significant injuries around the NFC South.

The Falcons are listing linebacker Stephen Nicholas (toe) and receiver Kerry Meier (groin) as doubtful. The Falcons have been getting linebacker Spencer Adkins ready to start this week. Defensive end Ray Edwards (knee) and cornerback Brent Grimes (knee) are questionable. Edwards participated in practice on a limited basis Friday, but Grimes did not. Backup quarterback Chris Redman also is listed as questionable.

The Buccaneers have ruled right tackle Jeremy Trueblood out with a concussion. Receiver Arrelious Benn (neck), defensive end Michael Bennett (toe), defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth (knee) and defensive tackle Brian Price (ankle) are listed as questionable. Benn and Haynesworth did not practice Friday while Price and Bennett participated fully.

The Panthers have ruled receiver Legedu Naanee (foot), defensive tackle Andre Neblett (concussion) and safety Jordan Pugh (concussion) out for Sunday. Defensive end Charles Johnson (back) is listed as doubtful and did not practice all week.

The Saints said running back Mark Ingram (toe) and receiver Lance Moore (hamstring) will be out Sunday. Linebacker Jonathan Vilma (knee) and safety Malcolm Jenkins (neck) are questionable and practiced on a limited basis.

We’ve got some very significant injury news out of New Orleans and updates on other injuries of note all around the NFC South.

New Orleans running back Mark Ingram, who has missed the past three games with a toe injury, suffered what coach Sean Payton called a setback in his recovery. Ingram aggravated the injury when he returned to practice Wednesday and did not practice Thursday. Receiver Lance Moore (hamstring) missed his second straight day of practice. On the bright side, safety Malcolm Jenkins (neck) and linebacker Jonathan Vilma returned to practice on a limited basis after sitting out Wednesday.

The Buccaneers are pretty banged up. Receiver Arrelious Benn (neck), defensive end Michael Bennett (toe), defensive tackle Brian Price (ankle) and right tackle Jeremy Trueblood (concussion) each missed their second straight day of practice. Defensive end Adrian Clayborn (hamstring) also was held out of Thursday’s practice.

Atlanta’s also got some significant injuries. Defensive end Ray Edwards (knee) and linebacker Stephen Nicholas (toe) each missed their second straight day of practice. If Edwards can’t play, Kroy Biermann and Lawrence Sidbury likely would get increased playing time. With Nicholas injured and Mike Peterson on injured reserve, the Falcons are getting Spencer Adkins ready to start at outside linebacker.

Carolina’s defensive line has some big injury problems. Defensive end Charles Johnson (back) and defensive tackle Andre Neblett (head) each missed practice for the second straight day.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Back in the preseason, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were getting grilled about why they weren’t spending big money in free agency, team officials kept explaining the team’s philosophy of building through the draft.

It made sense because the young team was coming off a 10-6 season and the implication from team officials was that we’d see some significant contract extensions during the season as the team began locking up some of its core young players for the long term.

Well, that hasn’t happened. Other than adding a year to safety Tanard Jackson’s contract while they were in London in October and quietly signing backup Rudy Carpenter to a modest two-year deal when they elevated him from the practice squad, the Bucs haven’t added on to any contracts.

Can’t blame them for that. When a team is losing eight straight games, there obviously aren’t many guys showing they deserve extensions. Running back LeGarrette Blount and receiver Mike Williams, two guys who could have been up for early extensions, haven’t been as productive as they were last season. Plus, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to go signing players to extensions now when it’s uncertain if Raheem Morris will be coaching this team next season or a new coach with new schemes that could make some players irrelevant could be taking over.

With that in mind, let’s take a brief look ahead at Tampa Bay’s salary-cap situation for 2012. The Bucs currently have $92.873 million committed toward the cap. I’m seeing six other teams with less money committed toward the cap.

But you can pretty much go ahead and subtract $7.2 million from Tampa Bay’s figure. That’s the 2012 cap number for defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, who basically was signed as a “rental" player after Gerald McCoy suffered a season-ending injury. There’s at least a chance Haynesworth could be back with the Bucs, but it won’t be at the $7.2 million figure because McCoy is expected back healthy and Haynesworth is aging and hasn’t shown any big flashes. The Bucs could cut Haynesworth and not have to endure any salary-cap implications.

There could be some extensions after the season, but they won’t come until after the Bucs have sorted out their coaching situation and reviewed film of this season to see who showed talent and effort, so there might not be a lot of candidates.

Let’s take a look at the top 10 salary-cap figures (reminder, these are cap figures, not actual salary) for 2012 for the Buccaneers:

• Davin Joseph, $9.5 million
• McCoy, $9.443 million
• Josh Freeman, $8.545 million
• Haynesworth, $7.2 million
• Donald Penn, $6.433
• Jeff Faine, $5.925 million
• Quincy Black, $5.75 million
• Jeremy Trueblood, $4.25 million
• Kellen Winslow, $4.144 million
• Michael Koenen, $3 million

A lot of times, you can tell what a team thinks of a player simply by looking at his contract.

In the case of Jeremy Trueblood, it’s pretty obvious the Bucs would like him to be their starting right tackle. Although he was injured and lost his starting job to James Lee last season, it sure looks like the Bucs want Trueblood back in the starting lineup. He’s been working with the first team through most of training camp.

I just got a look at his official contract numbers and Trueblood is being paid like a starter and also has a chance to increase his pay. The two-year deal the Bucs signed Trueblood to at the start of free agency is pretty interesting. On the surface, it’s worth $8 million and included no signing bonus.

Trueblood is scheduled to make $3.75 million this season and $4.25 million next year. That basically translates into decent starter money for a right tackle.

But the deal is designed so that Trueblood gets rewarded nicely if he reclaims his starting job. Trueblood could earn an extra $2 million. His deal includes playing-time incentives that could earn him up to $1 million. It also includes the possibility of an escalator that would boost next year’s salary by $1 million.