In October of 2006, Donald Penn moved from the practice squad in Minnesota to a spot on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' active roster. Almost exactly one year later, Penn graduated from undrafted and little-known reserve to the Buccaneers' starter at left tackle.
And on Saturday, as the Buccaneers were conducting their first practice of training camp, he began another chapter in his NFL career. By signing a new six-year contract with the team, Penn solidified his status as a long-term pillar on the Buccaneers' young and talented offensive line. To make room for Penn on the 80-man camp roster, the Buccaneers released rookie tackle James Williams.
"We're excited today, obviously," said General Manager Mark Dominik, who announced the deal on the practice field just before 11:00 a.m. "We just finalized Donald Penn's extension, it's a six-year extension. We're very excited about that."
Dominik also revealed that the team has agreed to terms with rookie defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, the third overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. The Buccaneers will officially announce that deal when McCoy has signed it, but he is expected to join his team on the practice field very soon.
"We're finishing up some language and paperwork [on McCoy's contract]," said Dominik. "We're excited about having him for the afternoon practice. It's a great day for the Bucs in terms of securing two players who could be very important to this organization to long-term deals."
Though he had been a restricted free agent since the start of the 2010 free agency period, Penn had not signed his one-year tender offer and thus could not report to training camp. Fortunately, the deal struck on Saturday erases the possibility of the Buccaneers starting camp without one of their most critical pieces in place. In his nearly three years as Tampa Bay's starter on the left edge, Penn had proven to be a rising star at what many consider one of the most important positions on the field. That might be considered doubly true in Tampa, where the left tackle protects the blind side of the team's young franchise quarterback, Josh Freeman.
The 6-5, 305-pound Penn possesses tremendously quick feet for a man of his size. He has a fearless approach to the game, which was especially helpful in 2007 when a season-ending knee injury to Luke Petitgout in September suddenly thrust the green lineman into the starting lineup. After Petitgout was injured in a road game against Carolina in Week Four, Penn stepped in and helped Tampa Bay hold on to an important 20-7 victory. The second-year lineman made his first start the following Sunday in Indianapolis and helped hold Dwight Freeney and the Colts' pass rush to just one sack.
That started a streak of 44 consecutive starts for Penn, the second-longest active run among Buccaneers' linemen to right tackle Jeremy Trueblood's 61 straight. Assuming Penn continues that streak in 2010, he will become the first player to hold on to the Buccaneers' starting left tackle spot for four consecutive seasons since the great Paul Gruber and his 12-season tenure (1988-99).
Barring injury, the Buccaneers can now enter the 2010 season with all five of its starting lineman from 2009 still in place. Like much of the team, that group showed significant promise down the stretch last season, producing a sack-free outing in a win at Seattle in Week 15 and blocking for 176 rushing yards in an upset victory at New Orleans the next weekend. Also like much of the team, that starting line boasts significant youth and promise. At 27 years old, Penn fits in well on a line that also includes the 27-year-old Trueblood, 26-year-old right guard Davin Joseph (a 2008 Pro Bowler) and 24-year-old left guard Jeremy Zuttah. Center Jeff Faine, the most seasoned veteran of the group, is only 29.
In 2008, Penn started all 16 games at left tackle and helped Tampa Bay's offense rack up 5,456 yards of offense, the highest single-season total in franchise history. The '08 Buccaneers also scored 361 points, second-most in team annals. In 2007, Penn started the last 12 games of the season after Petitgout's injury and helped Tampa Bay win its third NFC South title in six years. Penn also started the Bucs' lone playoff game that season.
Penn originally entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Vikings in 2006. At Utah State, he started 44 games, primarily at left tackle, and was selected as a team captain in his senior season. Penn concluded his Aggies career with second-team all-conference honors in 2005. He hails from Los Angeles.
Williams signed with the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent on April 26.
