Buccaneers Should Trade For Former First-Round Pick

Yesterday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers brought in veteran offensive tackle George Fant for a workout. This is the wake of the Tristian Wirfs surgery that could keep him out a month into the regular season. General Manager Jason Licht is obviously doing his due diligence to make sure the depth at tackle is secure in the short term.

Since we know the Bucs are looking for help at the position, it made me wonder who else they could bring in. Unfortunately, there aren’t many free agent options available. Anyone they sign will likely be an aging veteran or someone who doesn’t bring a lot to the table.

Time For A Trade?

That led me to the trade market. Granted it is unlikely to find a quality offensive tackle who is available for trade because depth at this position across the league is pretty thin. That leaves me thinking about a reclamation project.

A Giant Salvage Project 

One player specifically comes to mind. Someone who was a top 10 pick just a few years ago. Unfortunately, his career has yet to take off and he has fallen out of favor with the coaching staff.

That man is New York Giants offensive lineman Evan Neal. He was drafted 7th overall in 2022 out of the University of Alabama. Now he is listed as a backup guard on the depth chart as opposed to tackle where he played in college.

Neal has massive 6’7 and 340 lbs size. At the same time, he is also very light on his feet. In terms of a physical profile, this man was built to be an NFL offensive tackle. 

Escape From New York 

Sadly, Neal has never lived up to his talent. The technical parts of his game have never come along and he’s really washed out in New York. Moving him to guard was a desperate attempt to salvage his career after failing at tackle.

However, there have been a lot of examples of players failing with the Giants. Frankly, it is a poorly run team that doesn’t typically develop their young talent. The Bucs have seen a recent example of this.

Ben Bredeson struggled mightily with New York two years ago. He was essentially run out of town and cast off to be a journeyman backup. That is, until he landed in Tampa and became a solid starter under a different coaching staff.

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The same could be true to a degree with Neal. Even if he doesn’t turn into a starter with the Bucs, he could potentially turn into that short term bandaid with Wirfs injury. Then with his experience playing at guard would give Neal added versatility and value as a backup offensive lineman.

Then it just becomes a question of what it would cost to bring Neal in. In all likelihood, probably not very much. The coaching staff obviously doesn’t view him as the answer and has had no success in developing him over three years.

Perhaps a day three pick swap could get the deal done. Maybe an exchange of spare parts such as Trey Palmer for Neal. Whatever it is, it wouldn’t be something that makes Bucs fans any sort of uncomfortable.

This would be a risky acquisition. As of now, Neal isn’t a good player. But his talent and versatility could allow him to become a good player with development under this staff.