Kellen Winslow has had a productive career to say the least as an NFL player. In his 3 seasons with the Buccaneers, Winslow has caught a minimum of 66 passes in any given season (2010) and gained a minimum of 730 yards receiving (also 2010). Despite very good numbers that would have him ranked as one of the better tight ends in the game today, it sounds as if his time with the Buccaneers is over.
Earlier today, Winslow told Sirius XM NFL Radio that he wouldn’t be with Tampa Bay again in 2012. He went on to note that the team has expressed their intention to find a team to trade the 28 year old to. The last noteworthy piece of information that Winslow dropped was that he believed the team didn’t want him on the back of his lack of participation in the team’s voluntary offseason workouts.
It seems unlikely that the Buccaneers want to part ways with a stellar tight end simply due to his lack of participation in voluntary workouts, but the Buccaneers may already be targeting Winslow’s replacement. Adam Schefter reported via Twitter that the Buccaneers are expected to move in on former Colts TE Dallas Clark sometime this week.
Bucs worked out former Colts TE Dallas Clark last week, are expected to try to make a move on him this week.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 21, 2012
Clark, although a solid receiving tight end, will likely be viewed as a downgrade from Winslow if the Buccaneers are able to secure him. Clark has missed significant time over the past two seasons with the Colts, and his blocking ability is mediocre at best. He will bring a solid veteran presence to the position that Winslow also had, but in bringing him in, the Buccaneers would be bringing in a guy well past his prime years. Even in regard to receiving stats, Winslow has outperformed Clark significantly over the past couple of seasons.
Until Winslow is gone, it’s unlikely that we’ll know why the Buccaneers wanted to move on. I don’t believe the Buccaneers would seek a trade just because a guy didn’t show up for voluntary workouts, especially when that guy happens to be one of the better tight ends in the league. There’s more to this story, we just don’t know how much more yet.