TAMPA, Fla. -- It’s time for our weekly look into the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ mailbag.
@PatYazESPN who will start at both DE's?
— Bucs (@BucsTampa) June 19, 2015@PatYazESPN: Right now, it looks as if the Bucs will start Jacquies Smith and George Johnson at the defensive end spots. Smith was a pleasant surprise, recording 6.5 sacks last season. He should benefit from having an entire offseason with the team. Johnson was signed as a free agent from Detroit, where he had six sacks in a backup role. The Bucs believe Johnson can make the transition to being a starter. There are no superstars at defensive end, but the Bucs believe they have good depth with Larry English, T.J. Fatinikun, Lawrence Sidbury and William Gholston.
@PatYazESPN Who might be the 3rd starting LB besides @LavonteDavid54 and Bruce Carter??
— steven schwartz (@SPS10510) June 19, 2015@PatYazESPN: It appears as if Danny Lansanah has a strong grip on the strong-side linebacker job. He exceeded all expectations last year and was making lots of plays in the offseason program. Many thought that rookie Kwon Alexander was drafted to compete with Lansanah. But Alexander has been getting most of his work as the backup middle linebacker.
@PatYazESPN the offense has a four vertical playbook will we see more out of tight end or slot receiver? What have u seen in OTA/minicamp
— Anthony (@AnthonyBucs5584) June 19, 2015@PatYazESPN: I think you're going to see a lot more of the tight ends in the passing game than you did last year. New offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter has a history of using tight ends heavily. This is good news for second-year pro Austin Seferian-Jenkins. His production was limited as a rookie by injuries. But I think Seferian-Jenkins will be a big part of the offense this year.
@PatYazESPN who has a better shot at starting, Conte or Swearinger? #Buccaneers
— Andrew Lamers (@AndrewLamers) June 19, 2015@PatYazESPN: I say D.J. Swearinger has a better shot at starting at safety than Chris Conte. I say that because I think Swearinger has much more upside. He was a second-round pick by Houston in 2013. Things didn't work out in Houston, but Swearinger has talent and should benefit from a change of scenery.