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The opening day of the NFL's free agency period was predictably busy, but the action is far from over. The free agent market won't even be 24 hours old until 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, and hundreds of players are still searching for their next NFL homes.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers plan to entertain four of those free agents on Wednesday and potentially convince them to make the Bay area their destination for 2015. The team has confirmed that the following four players are scheduled to make visits to One Buccaneer Place on Wednesday:
- LB Bruce Carter
- S Chris Conte
- DT Henry Melton
- C/G Stefen Wisniewski
Carter and Melton played for the Dallas Cowboys in 2014, operating in a defensive scheme run by former Tampa Bay assistant Rod Marinelli that is similar to the one currently employed by Lovie Smith's Buccaneers. In addition, Melton played three seasons under Smith in Chicago, including a two-year stretch (2011-12) in which he amassed 13 sacks and one Pro Bowl invite.
Conte also played under Smith with the Bears from 2011-13, starting 40 games in that span and picking off six passes. Wisniewski has played each of his first four NFL seasons in Oakland after being drafted by the Raiders in the second round in 2011. He has played in and started 61 of a possible 64 games in that span and seen action at both guard and center. That experience and versatility could be attractive to a Buccaneers team looking to upgrade an offensive line that did not perform up to expectations in 2014.
A year ago, the Buccaneers made a big splash on the initial day of free agency but also remained active throughout the first week of the open market. The activity at team headquarters on Wednesday indicates that there is a long way to go in free agency this year, as well.
