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A look at the free-agent priorities for each NFC South team:

Atlanta Falcons

1. Sign a pass-rushing defensive end: This move has been telegraphed since the draft, when the Falcons jumped up to add an explosive offensive player in wide receiver Julio Jones rather than a pass-rusher. It’s no secret the Falcons want to add an edge rusher who can complement John Abraham in the short term and replace him in the long term. The Falcons showed last year when they signed cornerback Dunta Robinson that they’re not afraid to spend big money in free agency. They’re poised to do it again, and Minnesota’s Ray Edwards and Carolina’s Charles Johnson are two pass-rushers just entering their prime who will be on the market. The Falcons can offer big money and the chance to be the last piece of a Super Bowl puzzle. That should be attractive.

2. Figure out what the offensive line will look like: The Falcons have three starters on the offensive line who are likely to be free agents, and they’ll allow one or two of them to walk. That’s not as scary as it may sound, because none of those free agents is dominant, and the Falcons have stockpiled some promising linemen in the last few drafts. But center Todd McClure is near the end of his career, and left tackle Sam Baker is still a question mark. That means the Falcons can’t afford to let all their free-agent linemen walk. They need to maintain some continuity on the line to make sure quarterback Matt Ryan stays upright. Keeping right tackle Tyson Clabo is the major priority.

3. Re-sign kicker Matt Bryant: The veteran has revitalized his career since coming to Atlanta. He’s come through consistently in the clutch. The Falcons are a team on the verge of great things, and they don’t need to suddenly go young or cheap at kicker. They need a veteran who can help them win some big games.

Top five free agents: Bryant, LB Mike Peterson, T Tyson Clabo, G Harvey Dahl and G Justin Blalock.

Carolina Panthers

1. Re-sign DeAngelo Williams: The running back is sure to be a hot commodity on the open market, but the Panthers can’t afford to let him get away. Yes, Jonathan Stewart looked very good at times last season, and Mike Goodson made the most of his playing time after Williams was injured. But the Panthers don't want to put too much pressure on a young starting quarterback, whether it's Cam Newton or Jimmy Clausen. They need to have two or three strong running backs, and Williams is the most versatile member of the backfield.

2. Make a decision on Steve Smith: Other than the drafting of Newton, speculation about Smith’s future has been the dominant story out of Carolina this offseason. There have been conflicting reports about whether the veteran wide receiver wants to be traded from the only team he’s ever played for. The speculation was a moot point because no trades could be made during the lockout. Now, Smith and the Panthers will have to show their hand. If he truly wants out, the Panthers will try to trade Smith. But they’re not simply going to give him away. Even if he’s unhappy, Smith still might be the best player on the roster. The Panthers aren’t letting him go without getting a good draft pick or a decent player in return.

3. Sign a veteran quarterback: New coach Ron Rivera has said several times that he wants to add a veteran quarterback to serve as a mentor to Newton and Clausen. Heck, he might even need that veteran to start the first few games of the season so Newton and Clausen can catch up on all the missed offseason work. The Panthers want someone who can help the development of the two young quarterbacks. Someone like Marc Bulger or Jake Delhomme could fit, if either is willing to accept a backup role.

Top five free agents: Williams, DE Charles Johnson, LB James Anderson, LB Thomas Davis and CB Richard Marshall.

New Orleans Saints

1. Decide what to do with Reggie Bush. The running back/return man is scheduled to make almost $12 million and count $16 million against the cap. That’s not going to happen, but the Saints have indicated they’d like to keep Bush if they can work out a contract extension that would spread money around. The Saints drafted running back Mark Ingram in the first round, but Bush still could play plenty of roles with this team. Sean Payton has been creative with the ways he’s used Bush, who has been productive when healthy. Last year’s injury problems at running back showed the Saints can’t have enough depth at the position.

2. Make some key secondary decisions. Safeties Darren Sharper and Roman Harper are both potential unrestricted free agents, so the Saints have to make some choices. Sharper’s past his prime and is a free safety. That position now belongs to Malcolm Jenkins. Harper has been the starting strong safety and has been solid. Harper shouldn’t command huge money on the open market, and the Saints would be wise to re-sign him. If they do, they should have one of the league’s better secondaries.

3. Shore up the outside linebacker spots. Scott Shanle is an unrestricted free agent and may or may not return. The other position is up for grabs. Martez Wilson was drafted in the third round, and the Saints have a few other promising prospects at outside linebacker. But this is a veteran team with a realistic chance to contend for the Super Bowl, so it might be wise to go out and get a proven veteran and let the young linebackers develop behind him.

Top five free agents: Sharper, Harper, WR Lance Moore, FB Heath Evans and TE David Thomas.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

1. Re-sign Davin Joseph. The guard is very much in his prime and is strong as a run blocker and pass blocker. Along with Donald Penn, he’s the anchor of an offensive line that may be working in some young players. Quarterback Josh Freeman is the franchise in Tampa Bay, and the Bucs need to do whatever it takes to keep him protected.

2. Decide on a defensive leader. Middle linebacker Barrett Ruud is an unrestricted free agent and may bolt if a decent offer comes from elsewhere. Ruud’s been asking for a new contract for about two years, and the Bucs haven’t given it to him. They drafted Mason Foster in the third round and are high on his potential. But this is a very young defense, and putting a rookie at middle linebacker could be a risky move. Buffalo’s Paul Posluszny is a free agent, and there are reports that Green Bay could be looking to trade or release Nick Barnett. Either of those guys could come in and be an immediate leader on this defense.

3. Spend some money. The Bucs have had one of the league’s lowest payrolls in recent years. Still, they’ve made progress in a youth movement that won’t be abandoned. It might be time to start locking up some young players to longer deals. It might also be time to go out and get just a few free agents to keep the youth movement headed in the right direction.

Top five free agents: G Davin Joseph, LB Barrett Ruud, RB Cadillac Williams, DE Stylez G. White and Maurice Stovall.

With the labor negotiations going on and a potential lockout looming if a deal isn’t completed by the end of the day on March 3, I decided to see who the representatives are from each NFC South team to the NFL Players Association.

Here’s the official link to the list on the union’s website.

I knew several off the top of my head. But there also have been several changes, and one division team suddenly lost its player rep. Atlanta's rep, safety Erik Coleman, recently was releasedd by the Falcons. Offensive lineman Tyson Clabo and linebacker Coy Wire are listed as the co-alternates, and one of them will take Coleman’s place. Interesting side note here, Clabo is a potential free agent.

Carolina’s rep is veteran kicker John Kasay. That’s very interesting, because Kasay and Carolina owner Jerry Richardson, who is leading the ownership part of the talks, might be as close as any player and owner in the league. The co-alternates after Kasay are wide receiver Steve Smith and punter Jason Baker. Makes you almost wish Kasay comes down with the flu for a few days so that Smith has to go to the negotiating room. Smith might not be able to get a deal done by himself, but asking the mercurial receiver to step into a room where people are supposed to be diplomatic sure might liven up the talks.

Contrary to popular belief, quarterback Drew Brees is not New Orleans’ player representative. That title officially is held by offensive lineman Jon Stinchcomb, and defensive end Will Smith is listed as the alternate. Brees was in the room for talks the day before the Super Bowl when Richardson allegedly made condescending comments to Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning. For the record, neither Brees or Manning are listed as representatives or alternates for their teams.

Tampa Bay’s rep is center Jeff Faine, with guard Davin Joseph and receiver Maurice Stovall listed as the co-alternates. Joseph’s scheduled to be a free agent, and there are some questions about Faine’s future with the team. He has a high salary and has been injury-prone since joining the Bucs.

As with just about everything else in the NFL, there is huge uncertainty when it comes to the use of franchise tags.

Get ready to start hearing a lot more about this. According to the league and its teams, franchise tags can be assigned starting Thursday. According to the NFL Players Association, franchise tags cannot be used – at least until there is a new Collective Bargaining Agreement in place, which could take months.

You’re probably going to see the two sides fight this one out and some teams will probably cast the first stone by announcing Thursday, or soon after, that they are assigning franchise tags. We’ll see how that plays out in the long run. But, at very least, we can take a look at guys who could get franchise tags in the NFC South.

I just went through all my contract stuff and I’m seeing three prime candidates. Again, there is some uncertainty here because there is no labor agreement and the way any potential deal is structured could play a big role in deciding if some players are restricted or unrestricted free agents.

But the three guys that could come into play are Carolina running back DeAngelo Williams, Tampa Bay offensive guard Davin Joseph and Tampa Bay linebacker Barrett Ruud. Each team can only use a franchise tag on one player, if they chose to use it at all.

We don’t know the price of 2011 franchise tags, but we can look back to 2010 as a reference point. The tag for a running back was $8.2 million. For an offensive lineman, it was $10.7 million. For a linebacker, it was $9.7 million.

Let’s take a look at the significant players for each team who currently are not under contract for 2011 and see how this might play into the situation with franchise tags. Again, some players may fall into the category of restricted free agents, depending on how a potential labor agreement is structured.

Atlanta: Mike Peterson, Tyson Clabo, Harvey Dahl, Jerious Norwood, Jason Snelling, Brian Williams, Justin Blalock, Brian Finneran, Matt Bryant, Michael Koenen, Stephen Nicholas, Brent Grimes and Eric Weems.

Summary: Grimes is coming off a breakout season and likely will be classified as a restricted free agent. Most of the veterans on this list are role players and wouldn’t be considered for the franchise tag. The two long-shot exceptions could be kicker Bryant and punter Koenen. The Falcons used the franchise tag on Koenen in 2009 and let him play for the restricted free agent tender last year. The 2010 franchise tag for punters and kickers was $2.8 million. I have a tough time seeing general manager Thomas Dimitroff using a franchise tag on a punter or kicker. The Falcons don’t really have any need to use the tag.

Tampa Bay: Ronde Barber, Barrett Ruud, Cadillac Williams, Davin Joseph, Stylez G. White, John Gilmore, Maurice Stovall, Jeremy Trueblood, Quincy Black, Tim Crowder and Adam Hayward.

Summary: The Bucs should have a ton of cap room to work with, so they should be able to handle a franchise tag easily. But it remains to be seen if they want to use it on either of the two realistic candidates: Joseph or Ruud. Joseph is a guy they want to keep in the middle of their offensive line, but they might be able to work a long-term deal that would be a lot more cap friendly. Ruud has made it clear to the Bucs for two years that he would like a long-term contract. That’s never happened. Maybe he’s just not in their long-range plans.

New Orleans: Jonathan Goodwin, Scott Shanle, Roman Harper, Darren Sharper, Jimmy Wilkerson, Lance Moore, Jermon Bushrod, Pierre Thomas, Anthony Hargrove, Courtney Roby, David Thomas, Remi Ayodele, Heath Evans and Carl Nicks.

Summary: The Saints have more than 20 potential free agents and even the guys I singled out above aren’t huge stars. Nicks is probably the best player on the list. But he has three years of service in and almost certainly would qualify as a restricted free agent in any new agreement. Goodwin’s a good player, but I think the Saints would rather take their chances on working a new deal with him than using the franchise tag on a center.

Carolina: Thomas Davis, Matt Moore, DeAngelo Williams, Jeff King, Richard Marshall, James Anderson, Ryan Kalil, Charles Johnson and Dante Rosario.

Summary: Kalil and Johnson are key players, but they could end up as restricted free agents. Williams is the key guy. The Panthers have depth at running back with Jonathan Stewart and Mike Goodson. But Stewart has had durability issues and Williams is a playmaker on a team that needs all the offense it can get. Maybe the Panthers try to work a long-term deal with Williams, but they might try to protect him in the short term by using the franchise tag.

NEW ORLEANS -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be without injured fullback Earnest Graham and wide receiver Sammie Stroughter for Sunday’s game with the Saints.

Graham (neck) and Stroughter (hamstring) have been declared inactive. Erik Lorig is expected to start in Graham’s place. With Stroughter out and Arrelious Benn already on injured reserve, Tampa Bay will have to look to Preston Parker, Dezmon Briscoe, Micheal Spurlock and Maurice Stovall for depth at wide receiver.

Other inactives for the Bucs are: cornerback DJ Johnson, tackle Will Barker, defensive end George Johnson, defensive tackle Doug Worthington and tight end Nathan Overbay.

Tampa Bay’s 2010 draft class, productive for much of the season, took another hit Monday when coach Raheem Morris said receiver Arrelious Benn is likely to be placed on injured reserve after tearing knee ligaments in Sunday’s win against Seattle.

Benn and fellow rookie Mike Williams have been the starting receivers for much of the season. With Benn out, the Bucs likely will finish the season with Micheal Spurlock, Maurice Stovall and Dezmon Briscoe sharing playing time. All three had catches Sunday.

Benn will be the fourth rookie to be placed on injured reserve. Defensive tackle Brian Price went out early in the season and defensive tackle Gerald McCoy and safety Cody Grimm joined him more recently.

A quick wrap-up of Tampa Bay’s victory against Seattle.

What it means: At 9-6, the Buccaneers have clinched a winning season and remain mathematically alive for a playoff berth. I’ll update you on playoff scenarios when I get to Atlanta later tonight. We’ll see what the playoff situation is, but I think it’s safe to go ahead and declare the season a success for the Bucs no matter what happens. A winning record is a lot better than most people expected this year.

Hero: Josh Freeman. I was driving to Tampa International Airport about the time Freeman was throwing two second-quarter touchdowns and the road runs pretty close to Raymond James Stadium. The wind was making my car sway and forcing me to keep both hands on the wheel. If you can throw a football with precision through that kind of wind, you have a big-time arm. By the way, Freeman had three other touchdown passes. He never had more than three touchdowns passes in a game before and the five touchdown passes tied the team record. At 22 years old, Freeman now has 23 touchdown passes this season.

Unsung hero: Connor Barth. Tampa Bay’s young kicker made a 46-yard field goal into a very strong wind in the first quarter. The Bucs were trailing 7-0 at that point and considered punting on fourth-and-long. But they decided to trust Barth and his line-drive kick sliced through the wind.

Stepping up: We’ve talked repeatedly about how the Bucs have been getting banged up in recent weeks and how young guys continue to step up. Well, it happened again. With Sammie Stroughter out with injury, the Bucs gave more playing time to receivers Preston Parker and Dezmon Briscoe. Even veteran Maurice Stovall, who has been silent much of the season, contributed to the passing game. They also lost fullback Earnest Graham to injury during the game and used their tight ends as fullbacks to get through.

Look who’s stepping up: Kellen Winslow's been pretty good all season, even though he frequently sits out practices because of knee problems. But Winslow was great Sunday, catching two touchdown passes. Winslow’s second touchdown in the third quarter capped a 98-yard drive, which tied the franchise record.

Lucky break: Although he’s not the player he once was, Matt Hasselbeck is still a veteran quarterback and that kind of experience can help a lot at this time of year. Hasselbeck ran for a first-quarter touchdown, but hurt his hip on the play and left the game. The Seahawks were forced to turn to Charlie Whitehurst.

Redemption time: Linebacker Geno Hayes got into some off-field trouble a couple of weeks ago and had some very strong talks with coach Raheem Morris. Whatever was said seems to have worked. Hayes produced two third-quarter sacks.

What I liked: Even though center Jeff Faine and guard Davin Joseph are on injured reserve, the Bucs still were productive in the running game. Most of that simply was due to LeGarrette Blount's physical running style, but the blocking must have had something to do with it. The Bucs should watch the film of their young linemen because Faine is aging and has been having injury problems for a couple of years and Joseph could be a free agent.

Rookie of the Year: St. Louis quarterback Sam Bradford will win the league’s award, mostly because he’s a quarterback. But Blount and receiver Mike Williams are going to finish high in the voting. If you had to pick a Tampa Bay rookie of the year at this point, I think you’d have to split it between Blount and Williams.

What’s next: The Buccaneers close the regular season next Sunday against the New Orleans Saints at the Louisiana Superdome.

There aren’t any major surprises on the inactive list for the Buccaneers for Sunday’s game with the Seahawks. But two players of some significance who spent most of the week not practicing because of injuries will not play.

Offensive tackle James Lee and wide receiver/return man Sammie Stroughter are the two biggest names on the list. With Lee out, Jeremy Trueblood is expected to start at right tackle. Stroughter plays a backup role as a receiver, although he is prominent on special teams. His absence could create more playing time for receiver Maurice Stovall.

Also inactive are safety Dominique Harris, running back Kregg Lumpkin, cornerback D.J. Johnson, defensive end George Johnson and tight end Nate Overbay. Rudy Carpenter has been designated as the third quarterback.

It seems like every week in the NFL there are stories about players going against their former teams or coaches facing their former teams. But, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play the Washington Redskins on Sunday, the game presents more of a behind-the-scenes grudge match.

Bruce Allen is Washington’s general manager. He held that job in Tampa Bay from 2004 until he (and coach Jon Gruden) got fired after the 2008 season. That made me wonder a bit about how much Allen’s drafting has contributed to Tampa Bay’s surprising turnaround.

The answer is easy: Not much at all. Go take a look at Tampa Bay’s roster and I’m talking only the current active roster. There are nine guys Allen drafted and you can’t exactly call them the core of Tampa Bay’s resurgence.

Allen did draft safety Tanard Jackson, who is suspended until at least next September for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. He also drafted cornerback Aqib Talib and Davin Joseph, who currently are on injured reserve.

That leaves Allen’s draft haul as center Jeremy Zuttah, backup quarterback Josh Johnson, linebackers Quincy Black, Geno Hayes and Adam Hayward, tackle Jeremy Trueblood, receiver Maurice Stovall, running back Cadillac Williams and linebacker Barrett Ruud.

That’s a less-than-stellar cast. We’ll give Allen credit for drafting the starting linebacker corps, even though Ruud is probably on his way out of Tampa Bay. Trueblood was average for a few years, but he’s now playing behind James Lee. Zuttah’s a decent guy to have swinging between center and guard, but he’s nothing special. Williams had a nice rookie year and has made a couple of inspirational comebacks from major knee injuries, but he could be on the way out as the Bucs look for a younger pair of legs to go with LeGarrette Blount next year. It’s a minor miracle Stovall’s still on the roster and the Bucs would be in deep trouble if they ever had to start Johnson at quarterback.

Joseph’s a free agent next year and there’s no guarantee Jackson will be back. Talib’s a great natural talent, but he’s come with trouble.

Oh, and let’s talk about some of Allen’s other greatest hits. We’re going to leave tragic figures Gaines Adams and Arron Sears alone. But how about receiver Michael Clayton? The Bucs could have had St. Louis running back Steven Jackson or Atlanta receiver Michael Jenkins (a Tampa kid) or New Orleans defensive end Will Smith with that pick.

And who can remember Chris Colmer? Yeah, he’s the offensive tackle Allen drafted in the third round, despite a history of shoulder problems. The injury resurfaced as soon as Colmer joined the Bucs and he never played a down in the NFL.

At least with Clayton the Bucs got one productive season. But Allen’s history with other receivers was even worse. There was fifth-round choice Larry Brackens out of that football factory that sometimes is called Pearl River Community college and, then there was Allen’s all-time worst draft pick.

Yep, Allen saved it for his last draft. He and Gruden used a second-round pick on Dexter Jackson and walked into the media room a bit later and claimed he was going to be the second coming of Carolina’s Steve Smith. Turns out the only thing Jackson and Smith had in common was they were both short and since Jackson had gone to school at Appalachian State, he had spent some time in North Carolina.

But, hey, maybe Allen’s drafts did the current Bucs a favor, after all. If Allen hadn’t botched things at wide receiver the way he did, Mark Dominik never would have had to draft Mike Williams, Arrelious Benn and Sammie Stroughter.

» NFC High Energy: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

When training camp started, it didn’t look like Micheal Spurlock even had a chance to make the roster with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Rookies Mike Williams and Arrelious Benn were high draft picks and Sammie Stroughter had carved a spot for himself with a strong rookie season last year. The Bucs also had traded for Reggie Brown and had veterans Michael Clayton and Maurice Stovall. A former college quarterback, Spurlock had bounced around the league as a receiver and return man and hadn’t made a reception since he was a rookie with the Arizona Cardinals in 2006.

But Spurlock kept making play after play in the preseason. When the roster dust settled, Brown and Clayton were gone and Spurlock was ahead of Stovall on the depth chart. Still, the conventional wisdom heading into the season was the Spurlock would not be much of a factor.

So much for conventional wisdom. All Spurlock did Sunday was make the biggest play of the day for the Buccaneers. Actually, he had two big plays. The first was a crucial third-down catch that gave the Bucs a first down.

The bigger one came late in the game when Spurlock caught a 33-yard touchdown pass from Josh Freeman to put the Bucs ahead to stay in a 17-14 victory after they had trailed 14-3.

Marc in Durham, N.C., writes: What happened to Jermaine Phillips? He was a legit safety and I think he would be better than Sean Jones. Why have they not thought about putting him back there with Tanard Jackson?

Pat Yasinskas: I get a lot of questions on Phillips from Tampa Bay fans, and, strangely, many of them think he still is on the roster. That’s not the case. Phillips, who the Bucs began switching from safety to linebacker before last season, wound up moving back to safety. But he appeared in only two games before suffering a season-ending injury. The Bucs elected not to bring him back after the 2009 season. Phillips has not been signed by any other team. I don’t know the exact reason why, but his age (31), health and a domestic incident in January all could be factors. Given the league’s recent history of suspending players that violate the conduct code, teams might be hesitant to sign Phillips if he’s facing a possible suspension.

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Joshua in Charlotte, N.C., writes: Good work for your rankings of the different positions. You've included a lot more players than I expected, including backups. My biggest complaint is putting both New Orleans corners at the top of the list. I know they had injury issues last year so they're not entirely to blame, but New Orleans was ranked towards the bottom of the league in pass defense - despite playing on an aggressive defense against one-dimensional offenses that had to pass to keep up with New Orleans’ offense. While I don't think Chris Gamble deserves to be at the top of the list, I'd move him up a notch to fourth and drop Tracy Porter to fifth. You mentioned sacks being an issue, but New Orleans had more sacks last year and performed worse than Carolina. Even with Julius Peppers, Carolina was in the bottom third in sacks and still fourth in pass defense. Gamble is a stud and deserves better.

Pat Yasinskas: Your points are taken, and everyone is entitled to an opinion. One of the purposes of this blog is to generate conversation, and judging by the number of comments on the cornerbacks post, we’re accomplishing that. My opinion, based largely on talking to coaches, front-office people and players is Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter clearly are the best two cornerbacks in the NFC South at the moment. Look at what the New Orleans defense did in the games when Porter and Greer were healthy. They were healthy early on and they were a huge part of the reason Darren Sharper was allowed to play center field and produce so many early interceptions. Sharper’s numbers dropped when they went out. Also, looking at where New Orleans ranked on pass defense (based on yards allowed) isn’t a fair way to judge Porter and Greer. A lot of those yards came when they were out. Even when they were in the lineup, a lot of teams were throwing constantly to keep up with the New Orleans offense, so the yardage totals were high. Bottom line: When healthy, Greer and Porter are a dynamic duo. They were healthy enough last season for the Saints to win the Super Bowl. As far as Gamble, I have the utmost respect for him and think he’s been a very good cornerback for a long time. Putting him at No. 5 was not a knock at Gamble at all. I debated going as high as No. 3 with him, but, projecting a little bit, and thinking about supporting casts, I also put Aqib Talib and Dunta Robinson in front of him.

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Jeff in Tampa writes: Do the owners plan on expanding the roster and game-day player limits if they go to an 18-game schedule - say 60 man roster and 54-man game-day roster? This way starters will never be on special teams, and some much needed depth on game day will be available for the long grind?

Pat Yasinskas: Jeff, why don’t you just call Atlanta Falcons president Rich McKay directly and ask him? Rich, who is co-chairman of the NFL’s competition committee, and I were just talking about you when I was at Falcons’ camp a few weeks ago, and he remembers you fondly. Time to let the rest of you in on the back story here. Jeff is Jeff Bender, and he was supposed to be the starting quarterback at Tampa’s Jesuit High back in 1976. But McKay’s father, John, just got hired to take over the expansion Buccaneers and Rich enrolled at Jesuit for his senior year and became the quarterback under legendary coach Bill Minahan. Bender dutifully served as the backup that season and went on to have two pretty good years as the starter. Anyway, Jeff, I think it’s likely an 18-game regular season would come with expanded rosters, expanded practice squads and probably some different rules on how the injured-reserve list is treated. As it stands now, if a player goes on injured reserve, he’s done for the season. In an expanded format, I think we could see something more like what Major League Baseball does and players would be allowed to return after a specified period.

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Michael in St. Petersburg, Fla., writes: There is constant talk of receiver competition with the Bucs and trade talks. With Minnesota hurting a receiver could we send one there for a late-round pick?

Pat Yasinskas: Minnesota traded cornerback Benny Sapp to Miami for receiver Greg Camarillo on Wednesday. For the Bucs, Mike Williams, Sammie Stroughter, Arrelious Benn and Reggie Brown are pretty much guaranteed roster spots, and there’s no way the Bucs are shopping any of them. That basically leaves Michael Clayton or Maurice Stovall. If the Bucs could swing a draft pick (and I mean any draft pick) for either of those two guys, Mark Dominik instantly gets my vote for NFL Executive of the Year.

TAMPA, Fla. – The Buccaneers just announced Reggie Brown will start at wide receiver tonight.

This might not be a one-time thing. I think Brown could end up in the starting lineup on opening day. He’s starting in place of the injured Maurice Stovall tonight, but Stovall never really was the guy the Bucs wanted to be the starter. He’s a career backup and special-teams player.

Brown’s a guy the Bucs traded for (with five years left on his contract) and they’ve got big plans for him. If he plays well through the rest of the preseason, I think Brown and rookie Mike Williams will open the season as the starters with Sammie Stroughter as the slot receiver.

Also, tight end Kellen Winslow has dressed for tonight’s game, but the Bucs said he’s not expected to play. The Bucs have been cautious with Winslow throughout the preseason as they rest his knee.

John in Prairieville, La., writes: A lot is being made of the "late" hits on Brett Farve. There were called late hits on Favre, two I believe. And I believe that one was missed. I also saw that a man in mid-air, as Favre passed, was called for a late hit. This extended a drive. It goes both ways. The refs did the best they could with the Vikings backfield swamped with Saint's jerseys. Which leads me to my point. The Vikings could not contain our pass rush (or hold on to the ball), this is why they lost. Not because we paid off refs our some other conspiracy. Simply put, if you don't protect your QB he will get hurt. Your opinion?

Pat Yasinskas: Football is a very physical game and I think you’re correct in saying the Vikings didn’t do a great job of protecting Favre in the NFC Championship Game. That and Adrian Peterson’s inability to hold onto the ball are the main reasons the Vikings lost. Yes, the Saints got called for some penalties and might have crossed the line at times. But, like you said, if the Vikings had done a better job protecting Favre, the Saints wouldn’t have been able to get hits on him.

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Kevin in Omaha, Neb., writes: I know you don't make your predictions until closer to the season, but I was listening to Mike and Mike and they predicted that the Bucs would have a 2-14 season and 3-13 season. What are they looking at? From my view the Bucs are better at just about every position. Now I am not predicting a Super Bowl run and a playoff appearance is even far-fetched (not out of the question but unlikely) but they are going to be better than last season. What is your view?

Pat Yasinskas: Pretty much the same as your view. I think the Bucs are improved in a lot of areas and the biggest is at quarterback. Josh Freeman has a year under his belt and he’s going to be all right. Like you, I’m not ready to say the Bucs are going to the playoffs, but I think they’ll be a competitive with the potential to win five or six games.

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Matt in Tampa writes: Great article on the Bucs in your Camp Confidential piece. Just one question, how is Arrelious Benn doing? He seemed invisible against Miami and I see that he is 3rd string at the Z WR position behind Maurice Stovall and Sammie Stroughter. Is he really struggling?

Pat Yasinskas: I don’t think it would be fair or accurate to say Benn is struggling. He did get off to a quiet start in camp, but that happens with a lot of rookie receivers. He’s come on in practice over the last week or so and is progressing nicely. I don’t think he’s ready for a spot in the starting lineup. But, if continues to make progress, he could earn a spot in the receiver rotation.

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Brendan in Kernersville, N.C., writes: What is the feeling in Panther's camp on how Dan Connor is progressing at the MIKE position?

Pat Yasinskas: The Panthers seem satisfied with Connor at middle linebacker. He’s not going to be Jon Beason, who has moved over to weakside linebacker. In other words, Connor probably isn’t going to make a lot of big plays. Beason can do that from the weak side. Connor’s main job will be to produce tackles.

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Scott in Austin, Texas, writes: Junior Gallette looked pretty good in the first preseason game and I keep hearing his doing well. Do you think there is any chance they might move him to defensive tackle as opposed to end?

Pat Yasinskas: I’ve heard good things about Gallette and liked what I saw when I visited the Saints early in camp. However, I don’t think defensive tackle is in Gallette’s future. He’s not big enough to play the interior. Heck, he’s even undersized as a defensive end. He might have trouble making the regular roster as an end, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he ends up on New Orleans’ practice squad.

TAMPA, Fla. -- I’m sitting here looking at Tampa Bay’s unofficial depth chart for this week and it made me wonder how many rookies across the NFC South we’re going to see in the starting lineup in the opening week of the regular season.

Let’s take a look at the prospects for each team.

Tampa Bay: Currently, the Bucs list receiver Mike Williams and defensive tackle Gerald McCoy as starters. We’ve also got to include punter Brent Bowden. I think those three are set as starters, but the Bucs may have even more rookies in the lineup. Defensive tackle Brian Price fell behind a bit because of an injury, but he could vault ahead of Roy Miller. Second-round pick Arrelious Benn has come along a bit slower than Williams. He could move into the starting lineup at some point later in the season, but it looks like the Bucs will open the season with Reggie Brown, Sammie Stroughter or Maurice Stovall as their other receiver.

Carolina: Even though they are having a youth movement, there’s a chance the Panthers could open the season without a rookie in the starting lineup. Receiver Brandon LaFell is probably the best bet, even though the Panthers have been singing the praises of Dwayne Jarrett lately. Second-round pick Jimmy Clausen has been good in camp and was very good in the first preseason game, but the starting quarterback job still belongs to Matt Moore. Greg Hardy and Eric Norwood have had great camps, but probably will open the season as situational pass rushers.

Atlanta: It looks like first-round pick Sean Weatherspoon will start, but it still is unclear if he’ll be taking the spot of Stephan Nicholas or Mike Peterson. Third-round pick Corey Peters has a very real chance to be in the starting lineup, with defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux suspended for the opener and Peria Jerry coming back gradually from injury. At the very least, Peters is going to get significant playing time.

New Orleans: It’s looking like the Saints won’t have any rookies starting anytime soon. That’s not the mark of a bad draft. That’s the mark of general manager Mickey Loomis doing a nice job keeping the Super Bowl champions pretty much intact. You’ll probably see some of cornerback Patrick Robinson, offensive tackle Charles Brown and tight end Jimmy Graham as the season goes on.

We’ve moved into preseason games and that means we’re getting closer to roster cuts. With that in mind, I’ll begin an occasional series about players on the bubble. We’ll start it with Tampa Bay receiver Michael Clayton.

A lot of people were mystified when one of the first moves coach Raheem Morris and general manager Mark Dominik made after taking over last season was to hand Clayton a new contract that runs through 2013. Clayton hadn’t done anything of note since his rookie season, and the hope was he would emerge as a factor under a new coaching staff.

That didn’t happen and Clayton clearly is on the bubble as the Bucs have brought in a bunch of young receivers. Clayton has worked hard in camp and hasn’t looked bad. But he hasn’t done anything special, and it would take several injuries for him to end up in a starting role.

Draft picks Mike Williams and Arrelious Benn are going to make the roster. So is Sammie Stroughter. Reggie Brown is a guy the Bucs traded for, and he’s got a roster spot as well. After that, there’s Maurice Stovall and a bunch of young guys.

That’s where it gets down to numbers. Stovall and Clayton are basically the same guy, and either one can help you on special teams. The Buccaneers likely will keep five or six receivers, and that begs one question: Do you keep Clayton as a No. 4, No. 5 or No. 6 receiver?

It’s a tough call, because he’s not a bad guy in the locker room and he’s the most experienced receiver the Bucs have. It’s not uncommon for young receivers to look good in camp and the preseason, but have trouble once the regular season rolls around. Clayton could provide a little insurance.

But let’s throw out one other number that matters – and this could be highly significant. The Bucs are on the hook to Clayton for $3 million this season. That’s guaranteed money that he gets if he makes the roster or not. It would seem like a waste to pay a guy $3 million to go away, but don’t rule out that possibility.

Who knows what’s going to happen with the Collective Bargaining Agreement? There is no salary cap in place this season, but but Clayton’s scheduled base salary for 2011 is $3.75 million. In 2012, he’s to make $4.5 million, and it's $4.75 million in 2013. None of those salaries are guaranteed. There’s a chance the Bucs could look ahead at those numbers and just go ahead and pull the plug on Clayton sooner rather than later.

Perhaps the only negative to come out of Tampa Bay’s preseason game in Miami on Saturday night was that wide receiver Maurice Stovall suffered an ankle injury. The Bucs didn’t know immediately the full extent of the injury.

• Nakia Hogan writes the first phase of the $85 million upgrade of the Superdome is basically done. Fans will get their first look when the Saints host the Texans in a preseason game Saturday.

• Tom Sorensen provides a voice of reason for Carolina fans who are ready to declare Armanti Edwards a bust after one preseason game. I highly suggest you listen to my friend and former co-worker on this one. Nobody said Edwards would come in and be an instant start. The guy was a college quarterback. The Panthers have moved him to wide receiver and also are asking him to return punts. There’s a learning curve here and the Panthers have been clear that Edwards is a project. It may take some time, but the upside with this guy is tremendous.

• Mark Bradley writes about how the Atlanta defense is faster than it’s been and that means it should be better than it’s been. I’ll echo that when my Camp Confidential segment on the Falcons runs this week. But the short story here is the Falcons, who began their building process by reconstructing the offense, finally have the kind of personnel they need to truly fit their defensive scheme.