ESPN NFL

RISING

Matt Ryan. With Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers signing a huge contract extension, Ryan and his agent have stepped out of the on-deck circle and are walking toward the plate. Ryan’s going to get money similar to what Rodgers and Joe Flacco got. I wouldn’t look for a drawn-out negotiating period. The market value has been set and the Falcons and Ryan know they want to be together for the long haul.

Lamar Holmes. The fact the Falcons didn’t draft a single offensive lineman is a good indication of how they feel about Holmes, a third-round pick last year. It now is looking like Holmes is the heir apparent to right tackle Tyson Clabo, who was released.

Eric Washington. He’s the defensive line coach for the Carolina Panthers and already was a rising star after Charles Johnson and Greg Hardy each produced double-digit sacks last year. Now, Washington will get a chance to really bolster his reputation (and perhaps eventually become a defensive coordinator after the Panthers used their top two picks on defensive tackles Star Lotulelei and Kawann Short. On paper at least, Washington has enough talent to whip up one of the league’s best defensive lines.

FALLING

Ronde Barber. The Buccaneers say they still want the veteran defensive back to return for another year. But in what capacity? He’s not going to start at free safety because the Bucs signed Dashon Goldson. A return to cornerback is possible, but Barber likely would be behind Darrelle Revis, Eric Wright and rookie Johnthan Banks. Backup safeties and fourth cornerbacks almost always have to play special teams. Do you honestly see Barber doing that at this point in his career? If he wants to keep playing, there might be a place or two where he can still be a starter and that could mean he won’t play his entire career with the Bucs.

Charles Brown and Jason Smith. The New Orleans Saints used a third-round draft pick on offensive tackle Terron Armstead. That means they aren’t sold on Brown or Smith as their left tackle. Armstead won’t be handed the job, but he’ll compete with Brown and Smith in training camp.

John Abraham. There has been a lot of talk from Atlanta fans about the Falcons perhaps re-signing the veteran defensive end. I’ve said all along that’s a long shot. After the draft, I think it’s an even longer shot. The Falcons drafted defensive ends Malliciah Goodman (fourth round) and Stansly Maponga (fifth round). They also have a couple of other young defensive ends on the roster in Jonathan Massaquoi and Cliff Matthews. It doesn’t look like there’s room on the roster to bring back an aging player who already was released.

During the NFL draft, Tampa Bay general manager Mark Dominik said the door was still open for veteran cornerback Ronde Barber to return for another season.

But how wide is that door really open?

As Barber has been pondering whether to retire or play another season, the Buccaneers have been filling up their defensive backfield with talent.

Barber moved to free safety after playing his entire career at cornerback. But the starting free safety job no longer is available.

The Bucs filled that spot by signing free agent Dashon Goldson. Barber’s not really suited to play strong safety and the Bucs are set there with Mark Barron, last year’s first-round pick.

If Barber is going to return and wants to play safety, he’d be a third safety at best. Putting Barber in that role would be less than ideal for the Bucs because teams generally require their third safety to play special teams.

The other scenario for Barber to return would be for him to move back to cornerback. But the Bucs no longer have a big need there after trading for Darrelle Revis and drafting Johnthan Banks.

Revis, Eric Wright and Banks figure to be the top three cornerbacks.

The Bucs have been wise in repeatedly saying they want Barber back. That avoids the kind of public relations nightmare they endured when they unceremoniously released Derrick Brooks. But the Bucs also have been wise in going ahead and stocking up their secondary.

Maybe Barber still will return in some sort of ceremonial role. Having a guy like Barber in your locker room is a good thing because he sets a good example with his work ethic.

But, if Barber decides not to return to the Bucs, the team has set itself up nicely to move on without him.

The NFC South second-round picks just wrapped up.

I’ll do a quick analysis on each of the three (the New Orleans Saints didn’t have a pick in the road). And I’ll be back later with a column on what I think is the division’s best story of the night and quick analysis of what transpires in the third round.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Mississippi State cornerback Johnthan Banks with the 43^rd overall pick. Banks was once viewed as an early first-round pick, but a slow time in the 40-yard dash at the scouting combine caused his stock to fall. Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano and general manager Mark Dominik just talked to the media and they’re not concerned about how fast Banks ran in Indianapolis. They think he can step right in and play with Darrelle Revis and Eric Wright and make a position that was a problem last season a strength.

The Carolina Panthers used the 44^th pick on Purdue defensive tackle Kawann Short. That might seem like excessive attention on the defensive tackle position after the Panthers used their first-round pick on Star Lotulelei. But, like the Bucs at cornerback, the Panthers are trying to turn a weakness into a strength. Carolina also likes incumbent starter Dwan Edwards, but he’s nearing the end of his career and the Panthers now should be strong at defensive tackle for years to come.

At No. 60, the Atlanta Falcons continued the division-wide trend of loading up on one position by taking Southeast Louisiana cornerback Robert Alford. The Falcons used their first-round pick on cornerback Desmond Trufant. After the departures of Brent Grimes and Dunta Robinson, the Falcons now are back to full strength at cornerback.

We conclude our pre-draft rankings of position-group needs with the defensive backs.

Remember, the earlier the ranking, the greater the need.

Carolina Panthers: General manager Dave Gettleman has assembled a group of guys that could be decent second or third cornerbacks. But the Panthers still could be in the market for a true No. 1 cornerback. They also need to upgrade at safety.

New Orleans Saints: The pass defense was a mess last year. That’s why the Saints signed cornerback Keenan Lewis as a free agent. They’re hoping Jabari Greer can bounce back from a rough season, but they may want to upgrade from Patrick Robinson as the nickel back. The Saints also could look for a safety to challenge Roman Harper.

Atlanta Falcons: The only reason I have the Falcons third in this area is because everything is relative. The Panthers and the Saints have desperate needs in the secondary. The Falcons, who have Pro Bowl safeties in Thomas DeCoud and William Moore, aren’t desperate but they do have a significant need at cornerback. They need one more starting-caliber cornerback to go with Asante Samuel and Robert McClain.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: A couple days ago, the Bucs would have topped this list. But the trade for cornerback Darrelle Revis changed everything. Tampa Bay suddenly has a pretty solid secondary with Revis joining Eric Wright and safeties Dashon Goldson and Mark Barron. But it still is possible Tampa Bay could draft a cornerback fairly early because they’re unsettled at nickel back.

It looks as if the most anticipated trade of the offseason could be going down.

Rich Cimini reports the New York Jets have given the Tampa Bay Buccaneers permission to bring in cornerback Darrelle Revis for a physical examination. Revis is coming off a major knee injury, but all indications are he’s progressing well.

Tampa Bay’s team doctors now will get a close look at Revis’ knee.

But I think the mere fact that the Jets are allowing the Bucs to look at Revis means there’s a good chance the two sides must be close on what the compensation will be. There have been reports that the Bucs likely would have to surrender first-, third- and fifth-round picks, although it’s unclear if they would all be in this year’s draft or if some would be in 2014.

As I pointed out the other day, the Bucs have spent the offseason setting themselves up for a Revis deal. They have more than $33 million in cap space. If a deal is completed, the Bucs likely would sign Revis to a long-term extension worth around $15 million per year.

A healthy Revis would go a long way toward fixing a pass defense that ranked last in the league last year. Revis and Eric Wright likely would be the starting cornerbacks and the Bucs already spent big money on safety Dashon Goldson, who will start next to Eric Wright.

The deal isn’t done yet, but this is a major step toward Revis joining the Buccaneers.

Veteran defensive back Ronde Barber still hasn’t told the Tampa Bay Buccaneers if he plans to return for another season.

Barber presumably is in the process of deciding if he wants to return to the rigors of football or if he wants to begin the easy life of retirement. But there might be one other factor at work here.

Barber might be looking at the role he would fill for the Bucs and deciding if he can be content with that.

The Bucs and Barber have met previously and the team has even gone so far as to publicly announce it wants Barber back. But only the Bucs and Barber know for sure what they’ve talked about when it comes to the role he would fill if he returns.

But it’s not too hard to read the tea leaves and get a general idea of what role the Bucs might have in mind for Barber.

He started at free safety last season, but that position no longer is open. The Bucs went out and signed Dashon Goldson to a big contract in free agency.

Prior to last season, Barber had been a cornerback and a very good one. But I don’t see the Bucs moving Barber back to a starting cornerback job. They’ll either trade for Darrelle Revis or draft a cornerback early and that guy will start opposite Eric Wright.

That means Barber would be looking at being a backup safety, a nickel cornerback or a combination of the two.

Barber is a guy with a lot of pride and those roles might not be all that appealing. Makes you wonder if Barber, who has spent his entire career with Tampa Bay would consider going somewhere else where he could start (the Washington Redskins?).

The Bucs have been patient with Barber, and that’s the least they can do for a guy that’s done so much for the franchise.

But, at some point in the next few weeks, Barber is going to have to make a decision. And he’s going to have to decide if he can be content with a reduced role.

Cornerback Eric Wright, who was thought by many to be on his way out of Tampa Bay, will remain with the Buccaneers for another season.

Wright has restructured his contract, the team announced Tuesday evening. The new terms of the deal weren’t released, but it’s safe to assume Wright took a significant pay cut from the $7.75 million he was supposed to make under the terms of the old contract.

When Wright signed as a free agent in 2012, the first two years of his contract were supposed to be guaranteed. But the guarantee for 2013 voided when Wright served a four-game suspension last season for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.

Wright’s suspension and the fact the Bucs held him out of the regular-season finale gave many the impression that he would be released. But, in the end, the Bucs decided Wright was worth keeping around at a reduced rate.

There’s a reason for that. The Bucs ranked last in the league in pass defense last year and they desperately need help at cornerback. Although Wright’s play wasn’t great last year, he’s something of a proven commodity. That’s more than can be said of any other cornerback on Tampa Bay’s roster at the moment.

But that could change.

Even with Wright’s restructure, it still remains very possible the Bucs will attempt to work out a trade with the New York Jets for cornerback Darrelle Revis. It’s also possible the Bucs could draft a cornerback early. It also remains possible safety/cornerback Ronde Barber could decide to play another season rather than retire.

In the modern NFL, you need at least three cornerbacks capable of starting. With Wright, the Bucs still only have one.

Salary-cap information generally is kept top secret, but the NFL Players Association took the rare step of making some of it public Wednesday.

Presumably in an attempt to show how much cap room remains unused, the NFLPA publicly put out numbers on how much each team is under the cap.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the second-most room in the NFL at $26.384 million under the cap. That number could grow if the Bucs release or restructure the contract of Eric Wright, who currently is costing the team $7.75 million in cap space. This probably will lead to some of the old claims that the Bucs are “cheap." But I think the more significant thing here is that they’re set up nicely to perhaps make a trade for cornerback Darrelle Revis. Part of that equation would involve giving Revis a long-term deal as the highest-paid cornerback in the league. The Bucs, who like to front load contracts, are in a position to make a Revis deal work.

The Carolina Panthers, who had to do a lot of work to get under the cap at the start of free agency, now are $6.187 under the cap (largely due to the restructuring of Jordan Gross’ contract). That figure doesn’t include the deal signed by receiver Domenik Hixon on Wednesday. But Hixon’s deal is probably for the veteran minimum and won’t take up much cap space. The Panthers, who haven’t made any major moves in free agency, have a little bit of wiggle room now and could make perhaps one or two moves of note.

The New Orleans Saints are at $2.05 million under the cap. That means they’re pretty much done with free agency. If they want to make any significant moves, they’ll have to restructure contracts. But the problem there is they already have restructured most of the veteran contracts that would make sense to restructure.

The Atlanta Falcons were listed at $2.4 million under the cap. That was before news broke Thursday morning that the team is releasing right tackle Tyson Clabo. The move will free up $900,000 in the short term. But Clabo will be designated as a June 1 release. After June 1, the cap savings will be about $4.5 million. The Falcons also hope to work a long-term extension with quarterback Matt Ryan sometime this offseason. Depending on the structure of the deal, an extension could create some cap room for the Falcons this year.

Eric Wright’s appeal to get his $7.75 million base salary reinstated as guaranteed has been denied, according to numerous reports.

That means the Tampa Bay Buccaneers don’t have to guarantee Wright anything. When Wright originally signed his contract last offseason, his base salary for 2013 was supposed to be guaranteed. But that clause was voided when Wright earned a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.

The Bucs can release Wright and instantly free up $7.75 million in cap space, but it doesn’t appear as if they’re in any rush to do that.

As of the moment, Wright remains on Tampa Bay’s roster. Chances are slim he’ll be there come opening day. But it’s possible the Bucs might hold onto Wright for now. They’re very thin at cornerback and they might keep Wright until they’ve addressed the position.

If the Bucs aren’t able to add enough help at cornerback, it’s possible they could ask Wright to stay and take a cut in pay. But, again, it’s a long shot that Wright will be sticking around.

As I reflect on Wednesday’s news conference to announce the signing of safety Dashon Goldson, two words from Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Mark Dominik keep coming back to me.

Dominik used the words “rare" and "unique" to describe Goldson. He said very similar things last year when the Bucs signed free agents Vincent Jackson, Carl Nicks and Eric Wright. For now, let’s overlook the fact Wright hasn’t worked out the way the Bucs hoped.

Dominik’s point is that it’s rare for Pro Bowl level players in their prime to come available and his philosophy is to grab them when they do.

There’s another rare and unique player out there and the Bucs are, at very least, pondering a huge move. The New York Jets are shopping cornerback Darrelle Revis for a trade and the Bucs have been talking to them.

As I wrote last week, Revis is a logical fit for the Bucs. He might be the best cornerback in the league and Tampa Bay was horrible at defending the pass last season. Just as importantly, Revis would bring star power to a franchise that lacks it. Plus, there’s the fact the Bucs are one of the few teams that have enough salary cap room for Revis.

This is a chance for the Bucs to add a player that might be even more rare and unique than Goldson, Nicks and Jackson.

But there’s one big question hanging over this whole scenario: What’s the price tag for Revis?

There are reports that say the Jets want a package that includes Tampa Bay’s first-round pick (No. 13 overall). Those reports say the Bucs have been unwilling to part with that pick, although they might be willing to give up their first-round pick in 2014.

The Bucs need to play this one out. There are questions about Revis’ health as he recovers from a knee injury. There also is the possibility the Jets might not have another realistic trade partner (in case you haven’t noticed, the free-agent market for cornerbacks hasn’t been very good this year).

The Bucs might be able to get a rare and unique player and they might be able to get him at a rare and unique price, too.

The waves appear to be picking up in Tampa Bay.

The Buccaneers could be making a free-agent splash for the second straight year. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that San Francisco safety Dashon Goldson’s first visit will be to the Bucs.

That’s a pretty significant fact because Goldson is one of the top players on the market and he wouldn’t be making the trip if the Bucs weren’t a serious contender. They have over $32 million in salary-cap space and a need to overhaul a pass defense that ranked No. 32 last season.

I’m sure the Bucs will put the full-court press on Goldson and I’d be surprised if he gets out of One Buccaneer Place without signing a contract. The Bucs made a similar early splash last year when they quickly signed receiver Vincent Jackson, guard Carl Nicks and cornerback Eric Wright.

Goldson likely won’t be the only big-name player visiting the Bucs. They reportedly have been in contact with the agents for several free-agent cornerbacks and have been mentioned as a potential suitor for Darrelle Revis in a possible trade.

If Goldson lands with the Bucs, he’d be paired with second-year pro Mark Barron. Adding Goldson wouldn’t necessarily mean the end for Ronde Barber. The Bucs have said they want Barber back.

With Goldson in the mix, Barber’s role likely would be as a third safety and a nickel cornerback.

Tampa Bay cornerback Eric Wright reportedly is appealing the voiding of his $7.75 million guaranteed base salary for 2013.

Wright’s guarantee was voided after he served a four-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances last season. I’m not sure what Wright is basing his appeal on, but I don’t know that he’ll have much of a case.

I just spoke with one former NFL general manager that told me it’s very typical for teams to include contract language that voids guarantees in the event of such suspensions. I’m pretty sure Tampa Bay general manager Mark Dominik would have taken the same precaution.

At the moment, Wright still is on Tampa Bay’s roster and counts $7.75 million against the salary cap. But, unless Wright somehow wins his appeal and gets his guarantee back, he almost certainly will be released before the start of the offseason program in April.

While seemingly every NFL team is denying interest in New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, there is one team that should be going after him.

I say put Revis Island on Davis Islands.

That’s the tandem of islands in the shadows of downtown Tampa and just down the road from Raymond James Stadium. It’s on those islands that New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter built a mansion, and he could use some company.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers also could use a shutdown corner.

Revis and the Bucs would be a perfect match on every level. Other teams are citing the cost of a trade and the salary cap as reasons why they don’t want the guy that might be the best cornerback of his generation. But none of those excuses work for the Bucs.

In fact, the things that work against those other teams work for the Bucs.

Let’s start with the price of getting Revis and keeping him for the long term. It will probably take a couple of draft picks to pry Revis from the Jets. The Bucs have some flexibility there because they have an extra fourth-round pick this year. Even if the Bucs had to give up this year’s first-round pick (No. 13 overall) as part of the package, so what?

They’re not going to find a better cornerback than Revis in the middle of the first round.

Then, there’s also the realistic fear that trading for Revis would only be a one-year solution because he’s heading into the final season of his contract. But the Bucs are in a unique spot there. They’re more than $32 million under this year’s salary cap and they have plenty of cap room in upcoming years.

They could trade for Revis, immediately sign him to a huge extension and still have plenty of cap room to work with now and in the future.

But the Bucs have more than just the means to get Revis. They have a glaring need.

Did you happen to catch Tampa Bay’s secondary last season?

The Bucs were so bad they allowed more passing yards than the New Orleans Saints, which is saying a lot. The Bucs were so bad that they had the league’s top-ranked run defense but still managed to finish No. 31 in total defense.

In the process, they traded away their top cornerback, Aqib Talib, mainly because he was a perpetual headache. Eric Wright, the free agent they signed to a big contract last year, didn’t really work out. He ended up getting suspended for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. That suspension voided his guaranteed base salary for this year and the Bucs may end up releasing Wright.

This is a team that can’t afford to go into next year counting on Leonard Johnson and E.J. Biggers as anything more than role players. This is a team that needs a big-time cornerback and they don’t come any bigger than Revis.

He instantly would make the Bucs better and that would be a huge plus for a franchise that hasn’t been to the playoffs since the 2007 season. Put Revis with second-year safety Mark Barron and add another cornerback and a safety behind a front seven that has some talent, and Tampa Bay’s defense suddenly could become very good.

There were hints last season that the offense could be pretty good. Get a little more consistency out of quarterback Josh Freeman, let Revis bolster the defense, and Tampa Bay could be in the playoff hunt.

That brings us to another point. The Bucs need to win and they also need to excite a fan base that hasn’t had a lot to be excited about in recent years.

Winning can cure a lot of that, but so could an injection of charisma. Revis has charisma. He trademarked the “Revis Island’’ name and he has star power.

That’s something the Bucs desperately need as they try to put fans into a stadium that rarely has sold out in recent years.

The arrival of running back Doug Martin and wide receiver Vincent Jackson gave the Bucs some star power last year. But, still, Tampa Bay might be the rarest of NFL markets.

Hockey’s Steven Stamkos and baseball’s Evan Longoria might be more popular in Tampa Bay than any of the Bucs. Jeter might even be Tampa Bay’s most famous resident from the sports world and he plays his home games more than 1,000 miles away, not far from where Revis has spent his career.

But maybe it’s time for the Bucs to step up and take Revis out of New York. If they do, they can give themselves a true superstar, fill their stadium and, maybe, turn into a playoff team.

» NFC Eight in the Box: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Welcome to Eight in the Box, an NFL Nation feature that will appear each Friday during the offseason. This week’s topic: Who will be each team’s biggest salary-cap casualty this offseason?

Atlanta Falcons. There already have been reports that the Falcons are likely to release veteran running back Michael Turner. He is scheduled to count $8.9 million against the cap and the Falcons could free up $6.9 million by releasing him. Turner is 31 and clearly isn’t the same runner he was earlier in his career. The Falcons could put the added cap space to good use as they try to keep safety William Moore, cornerback Brent Grimes and left tackle Sam Baker from leaving via free agency.

Carolina Panthers. Chris Gamble is the team’s best cornerback, but it seems impossible for the Panthers to keep him and his $10.9 million cap figure. The Panthers could free up $7.9 million by releasing Gamble.

New Orleans Saints. Although there have been reports the Saints might try to keep defensive end Will Smith with a restructured contract, that might be impossible to do. Smith has a $14.5 million cap figure, including $9 million in base salary and his recent production doesn’t align with those numbers. In a normal restructure, numbers get moved around, but the player still ends up making the same amount of money. In Smith’s case, it’s likely he’ll have to take a big cut in pay to stick around.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs are roughly $30 million under the cap at the moment, so it’s not like they need to release anyone for cap purposes. But cornerback Eric Wright appears to be a likely casualty. His suspension last year voided his salary guarantee for this year. That means the Bucs could instantly clear $7.75 million by releasing Wright.

Now that carry-over space has been determined, let’s take a look at where each NFC South team is sitting in relation to the 2013 salary cap.

The cap won’t be set until just before the league year starts in March, but it is expected to be slightly more than $120 million. Two NFC South teams are well under the cap and two are way over it and will have plenty of work to do in the next two months.

Atlanta Falcons. After spending closer to the 2012 cap than any other team in the NFL, the Falcons were able to carry over only $307,540 in cap space. But they also were given a $1 million adjustment for reasons that aren’t clear. They’re sitting at $113 million with 48 players under contract for 2013. But that cap room could disappear quickly if they re-sign potential free agents Brent Grimes and Sam Baker.

Carolina Panthers. The team carried over $3.654 million in cap space, but the situation remains a mess. With 56 players under contract, the Panthers are sitting at $131.7 million. There’s no doubt new general manager Dave Gettleman will attempt to restructure some contracts, but he’s going to have to release some veteran players just to get under the cap.

New Orleans Saints. They were able to carry over $2.7 million. With 55 players under contract, they’re sitting at $140.2 million, the second-highest current figure. General manager Mickey Loomis will have to restructure contracts and there is little doubt the Saints will part ways with some veterans.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They’re in the best cap shape in the division. They carried over $8.5 million and also were given a $1.643 million adjustment. They likely will try to re-sign defensive end Michael Bennett, defensive tackle Roy Miller and a few other potential free agents. But the Bucs, who easily can free up an additional $7.75 million by releasing cornerback Eric Wright, still should have plenty of room to make some moves in free agency.