Carl Nicks ‘Retirement’ Leaves Tampa Bay Buccaneers With Limited Options

Jun 10, 2014; Tampa Bay, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers guard

(77) during minicamp at One Buccaneer Place. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

WithCarl Nicks’ announcement that he is stepping away from football, it now leaves the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a tough spot at the guard position.

Before Nicks’ decision, the Bucs were already thin at guard. Now with Nicks gone, they are really struggling.

Jamon Meredithwill man one spot, butOniel Cousins, Kadeem Edwards,Jason Foster, Andrew Miller andPatrick Omamehare the other options, none of which bring a ton of confidence to the line-up.

For what it’s worth, Bucs head coachLovie Smith has saidthat Meredith and Cousins are pencilled in as the starters now.

Nicks hasn’t officially called it a retirement but for all intents and purposes, that is exactly what it is.

"“I’d like to think the Buccaneers organization for working with me as I have attempted to get myself back on the football field,” Nicks said in an official team statement. “However, after careful consideration, I have made the decision to step away from the game. This was by no means an easy decision, but I believe that it was what is best for me and my family, as well as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.”"

He has been nothing but a major bust for the Bucs after signing a five-year, $47.5 million deal with Tampa in 2012, as he played in just nine games as he dealt with injuries.

Meredith is now the most experienced guard on the roster (in terms of starts) and has proven to be a good player in his tenure with the Bucs. He has appeared in 30 games with the Bucs, 20 of which are starts.

He has played primarily at right guard but now appears to be moving to left guard to replace Nicks. Cousins, who is slated to play at right guard, has played in 59 games, but only nine have been starts.

As the preseason comes to an end and teams make cuts to get down to the 53-man roster limit, don’t be surprised if the Bucs pick up some guard depth there.

The Buccaneers’ first day of training camp was hindered by weather but there were more than a few noteworthy pieces to pass along, courtesy of the local media.

• Smith praisedGerald McCoyfor hisleadership abilities.
• He wasalso pleasedwithLeonard Johnson
• Smith admits Austin Seferian-Jenkins is behind after missing OTA’s but iscatching up.
• He also adds that he askedMason FosterandDane Fletchertodrop some weight, which they did.
• Chris Owusuand rookie Brendan Bigelow are in contention to be theBucs kick returner.

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