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Richard Sherman started the NFL season unemployed following his contract expiration with the San Francisco 49ers, but the veteran might soon be landing on the NFL's hottest commodity.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians confirmed that the team reached out to Sherman to see whether the veteran would be interested in joining the reigning champions.
"Jason [Lynch] reached out," Arians said. "We got to see. He's got other things going on, too. Just a matter of "I coach the ones that we got and let him handle the rest of that.' We'll kick the tires on some other guys, too. But it's just a matter of, 'No, we'll talk and see, and if it's the right fit, it's the right fit and we'll move on it."
The Buccaneers are going through an injury crisis in their secondary. Starter cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting was placed on injured reserve following an injury suffered during Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys. Other banged-up players include cornerback Carlton Davis and safety Jordan Whitehead, who missed the season opener.
Sherman would be another high-profile veteran to join the Buccaneers since the 2019 season ended. Tom Brady signed for Tampa Bay once his 20-year tenure with the New England Patriots ended, and many veterans followed suit. Antonio Brown, Leonard Fournette and Rob Gronkowski are some of the examples that united forces with Brady in Tampa Bay.
A five-time Pro Bowl corner, Sherman spent the majority of his career with the Seahawks before moving to the rival San Francisco 49ers in 2018. He's 33 years old and played in only five games last season because of injuries. Reports indicate that, alongside the Buccaneers, the other two teams that are interested in adding Sherman's services are exactly the Seahawks and the 49ers.
How would Sherman fit in with the Buccaneers?
Sherman would step into a defense that abuses zone coverage, which is where he made the most of his career while with the Seahawks. At this point, the veteran is not the best option to play man coverage. His reaction and his quickness has diminished with his age, but zone coverage would put him in less individual situations where he can be useful.
Sherman is a very experienced and smart player who would know how to make the most of his talent and the scheme. Staying healthy and his age are two valid concerns, but clearly Tampa Bay has shown that age is not a big problem for that franchise.
The experience part is valuable as well. The top three corners for the Buccaneers - Sean Murphy-Bunting, Carlton Davis and Jamel Dean, are still young and could use someone with Sherman's credentials to help them on a daily basis.
Sherman's recent legal issues could be a problem for this deal to happen, but there's much to like about him joining the Buccaneers.
