If Caddy comes back, who goes?

We're all anxiously waiting to see whether RB Cadillac Williams is activated in the next week from the physically unable to perform list.

It would be a great feat for a guy who suffered a devastating, career-threatening patellar tendon tear in his knee over a year ago. Williams has been working toward a return and the 21-day evaluation period -- after which he must be activated or placed on injured reserve -- ends Wednesday.

We're probably getting too far ahead of ourselves here, but if Williams is activated, there's one other step that will need to be taken: The Bucs will have to release someone from their 53-man active roster to make space for him.

With as many injuries as the Bucs are currently dealing with, it will be a challenge to find someone who isn't absolutely necessary right now.

There's a chance the Bucs could look to place one of their injured players on injured reserve, such as FB B.J. Askew, who has been out since tearing a hamstring in Week 3. As valuable as he is, the Bucs have already gone without his services for this long, and it's conceivable they'd make a tough call and place him on IR.

Another option I'm sure many here would be all too happy to suggest is releasing second-round pick Dexter Jackson, who clearly isn't in the plans and doesn't figure to have any kind of role for the remainder of the season now that he's lost the return duties. Still, I have a hard time envisioning this. One reason I don't see this happening is that releasing him would be tantamount to admitting the pick was a mistake. To this point, the Bucs have defended the choice, at least publicly. I reserve the right to be wrong on that one, though.

Another possibility is QB Josh Johnson, the fifth-round pick who won't play for the Bucs anytime soon. It's less likely that another team would pick him up this late in the season, at least one that had designs on using him in 2008. It would be unlikely he could help another team at this stage. But there's always a chance he could be attractive to another team that might be willing to invest some time in him and wouldn't mind stashing him on its roster right now. If released, he would have to clear waivers before the Bucs could sneak him onto the practice squad. Still, I've heard his name has come up in these kinds of conversations earlier in the season. It's tough to keep four quarterbacks under any circumstances, let alone with the Bucs' current injury situation.

This is just one of the many personnel challenges the Bucs will face this season. As usual, this one will be a tough call, too.

Comments

[gathespeed]

Michael Bennent

[Wade]

Askew is a strong piece but we've gone this far, i say just put him on IR and stick it out with cook and he's not all that bad.

[Leo In Canada]

I thought Clark may be cut when C.Smith was promoted. He may be expendable or a move may occur involving Stovall either to IR or out the door. WR is looking more stable recently.

[Michael B]

How bad must Bennett be if Smith joins the team last minute and gets more work in the offense than he? There must be something with that guy that we don't know. Too dumb for the offense? Who knows.

[Stephen Holder]

James, excuse me for a second.... Sorry, I had to puke!:) Seriously, your insinuation that the papers in this town were the only ones who are down on Dexter Jackson is laughable. I mean -- hello -- the kid was benched. That would be the team's decision, by the way. I call like I see it man. Still, I hope your vision is right, although he'd have to be activated on Sundays for that to transpire. Good luck to him. I mean that.

[Stephen Holder]

Michael B, I have tried and tried and tried to get a truthful answer on the deal with Bennett. I've got nothing. It's one of the most perplexing things about this team this season.

[Steve]

GET RID OF BENNET....

[Charles]

STOVALL

[Dark Side]

A FB or RB has to go. If askew comes back, we can let cook go. If askew doesnt, then he has to go on IR.

[DR]

Stephen, I can't believe you responded to James idiotic comment.
I don't understand the Bennett situation and why he is even on the team right now. He has to be in the One Buc Place dog house. I'm calling PETA for inhumane treatment.
I think you're right about Askew, he would be the obvious choice for the IR since he does have an injury that can be nagging for the rest of the season. It would be a gamble to keep him on the roster for the rest of the season. Its also a gamble bringing Caddy back. Is he mentally ready for the grind on the football field? Ask any RB, more talented RBs with less severe knee injuries, and they will tell you that its not until the season after their comeback that they feel the same as beofore the injury.

[Clad]

Stephen,
Any insights as to how Caddy looked Tuesday and Wednesday in pads?? He was suppose to be working with the practice squad I thought.

I wonder if he was favoring his knee as you said last week? If so, my guess is we don't activate him.

We'll see I guess....

Clad

[Bretterson]

Whether the team admits it or not, picking Dexter Jackson WAS a mistake.

[IMISS_No47]

Dexter Jackson

[gruden is a meanie]

hi i'm a fan who knows far more about football than the folks who get paid 6 or 7 figures to coach in the NFL, and even though i don't watch practice i know michael bennett is the best RB on this team. i think gruden is a mean jerk who just wants to be mean to people and doesn't care about the fact that he's paid to win football games. also i know for a fact that the other coaches are just window dressing and aren't at all involved in deciding who dresses and who doesn't.

get over yourselves, people, there's too much at stake to not play the guys who give us the best chance to win....i dunno how many heard galloway's comments on his radio show when asked about bennett, but he diplomatically implied that he's the back who's least capable of executing the non-ballcarrier parts of his job, and thus his package of plays was\is extremely limited

[Jay]

I just don't see the upside in activating Caddy at this point. Askew, at least, could recover and come back to help in the post season, but Caddy still has two other guys to go through (maybe three now) before he makes it on to the field. He's still under contract, still rehabbing, and still salvageable after such a devastating injury. Why would you risk losing that investment now? That's a far bigger game than Dexter Jackson right now.

Speaking of which, why would you release him when you can trade him in the offseason and try and recoup some draft picks? There are more than a few teams in desperate need of a talent like his, so why not sit on him for a bit? Any chances he gets a phantom "toe injury" during practice?

[dc]

James that was funny man... ha but anyway realise michael bennett not josh johnson... it's obvious that he just doesnt get it he got replaced by clifton smith a rookie??? something isnt right about him at all you dont realese young talent for old

[B.D]

I think you should find out if williams is able to make a comeback this year,that way if he cant, they can make plans (draft) to replace him next year. better than finding out next year that you could have drafted someone to help and must wait another year for the next draft

[dave]

Bennet's situation is simple: he cannot pick up the blitz. Couldn't in Minny, couldn't in KC.

[gtskyrider]

It should be either Michael Bennett or Maurice Stovall. Dexter Jackson was thrown into the fire from day one, sometimes you need to sit and think and get hungry to make things happen...so this is his eye opener.

[Vince]

Stephen, you think the Bucs would put Askew on IR and finish the season with no true fullback? I think that is pretty unlikely.

[Dave]

Gruden has totally humiliated Bennet.
This coach is a real jerk, he gets off by making his point at the expense of the team. Please, take your offense and your 2yd passes to Tennessee, don't forget your QB's either, Garcia and SoB. These QB's are AWFUL!

"Well, my days of not takin' ya seriously are certainly comin' to a middle."

[gruden fan 4life]

My guess is Michael Bennett and Dexter Jackson will both be given their outright release. Stovall's worthless too, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to dump him as well. Defensively, Ronde Barber should also be cut right away.

[Mediocrity]

I'm not going anywhere!!...I am here as long as Gruden is!!!!!!

[Kurt]

Only stupid to you, but everyone else is laughing! I think everyone on this blog is fully aware of who has any inkling of football insight here DR. That's ok though, the world needs ditch-diggers too. One day you'll say something insightful, I promise! Now, if you want an example of a really idiotic statment; take this one on for size"...Is he (Caddy) mentally ready for the grind on the football field?" Now that's a statement that we all can agree on as being utterly dim-witted and thoughtlessly stupid! Good job DR; keeping us up-to-date with your insight and intelligence. Thank you for bringing the blog IQ down a few notches!!! I bet those 10-12 hour days or rehab over the past 14 months have made him so meager and abashed, he probably will get the weeby-jeebies just by putting his foot on RJS field. You're such a tool it really keeps the blog fun!!! I'm just sayin...

[Jonathan]

Stephen Holder is the man. I hate when people come on here just to bash sportswriters. You know how hard that job is? No one wants to tell you anything ever, not the coaches, the players or the suits. And it doesn't pay well on top of it. Lay off the dude, he does a great job.

[Oldcrank]

The problem with Bennett is not just the blitz. He's not a very good blocker. Look at Dunn, they are similar sized backs. But Dunn is a much more effective blocker. In our scheme, the tailback needs to be able to block as well as carry the ball or catch a pass. Depending on the prognosis for Askew's return he's a tough call. Great player. I vote Deckster out. Fast, but not an NFL quality player.

[Oldcrank]

For those you who haven't been fans very long, Deckster is not our first or last mistake. Remember Keith McCants or Booker Reese. What about other NFL blunders like Ryan Leaf, Brian Bosworth, or Lawrence Phillips. There's no shame in cutting Deckster Jackson. The shame is in keeping him and cutting a quality player.

[Stephen Holder]

I'm gonna give you guys a little inside info here that I haven't shared in the paper: Regarding Jackson, it's my understanding that some comments he made to me about taking hits in a recent story were not well received by the vets in the locker room. I'm pretty certain they let him know it, too. If you're curious, see the story here: http://www.tampabay.com/sports/football/bucs/article866876.ece

[Stephen Holder]

You have scroll down a little ways to the second item if you click on that link, FYI.

[Piper]

release DJax

[DR]

Wow Kurt. You truly are an amateur. You obviously never played a sport in your life at any competitive level. Is Michael Jordan an idiot for saying sports is 90% mental and 10% physical? Have you ever had an injury, perhaps knee surgeries, besides a paper cut? Have you ever taken a sports psychology class? Is the term "the yips" just a sham? Did Chuck Knoblauch and Mackey Sasser's careers get cut short because of a sham? You think what separates average players from great players is purely athleticism don't you? Man, you are truly pathetic. You know absolutely nothing about sports.
Kurt, I think I heard your mom call you, it's time for dinner.

[aj]

There's no need to bring back Caddy when Dunn and Askew are expected back next week and Clifton Smith looked great. If the reason Bennett isn't playing is because of blocking, why would they bring Caddy back when EG and WD are both far superior blockers?

Throwing Caddy into the fire now would not be fair to him. It's a 2 year injury. Week 11 when you are in the hunt is not the time to find out if he's got it.

I'd rather see them bring Davis back. The o-line is too thin and it is good to have someone with experience to backup at tackle, instead of a rookie that played guard in college. No offense to James Lee, but I'd hate to be stuck with him at Left Tackle come playoff time.

You could cut Stovall. If he had anything, we'd have seen it by now. WR is looking stronger lately. If the team gets a little more healthy they could always slide Stevens or Dunn into the slot to try and get a mismatch. I don't think Stovall would be missed.

[JK]

Stephen- Thanks for the info. That little bit of information has me convinced that Gruden will eventually release him. My guess is he will get one more chance and if he runs east and west on the field that will be that. I have watched the Bucs since 1978 and in my opinion they are more physical on both sides of the ball than ever. Your probably right. The veterans didn't like the comments and I don't blame them. I still think Bruce and Jon will still give him one more chance.

[herb]

i think we should use more 4 receiver sets and let jackson play at receiver.

spread the offense.. teams will have to respect the speed of galloway and jackson as well as bryant and clayton.

[Drew]

Stovall or Bennett will be cut if Williams is activated.

[Drew]

D-Jax needs to learn the NFL game is played with heart and violent contact. There's no chance of him playing WR at this level if he's unwilling to take a hit.

He may get another chance, but it's more likely he'll be employed at K-Mart before the season ends.

[Ricky]

Everybody here needs to wake up and realize that Josh Johnson will never be the No. 1 or No. 2 QB under Jon Gruden. Therefore, he has to be the first to go. It's a no-brainer.

[John Klopfer]

Jackson is not going anywhere this season. Brian Clark is probably the most logical choice. Askew? We're in the hunt for the playoffs we need to keep him...even if it for only a few games. If Askew is ready to come back, Cook might be ready to take another hiatus from football. Though I believe Bennett has proved to be worthless he is insurance if Graham and/or Dunn do not respond to treatment. What the status on Griese? Is he a canidate for IR?

[True knowledge]

Cadillac will return as an old 4 cylinder Vega!

[Scott]

Although I now think that the Bucs made a mistake in drafting Dexter Jackson, I think that it was an acceptable mistake. We just did not have any clue at the time of the draft that the team that he gained fame in college by torching (Michigan) was really really really bad and really really slow. Although Michigan was on a downturn, we still thought that Jackson had pulled off one hell of a feat. Now it does not seem so daunting...he simply outran a bunch of slow guys.

But, since we placed such a high pick on him, and because he is fast, I think that Jackson should be placed on the practice squad and given another chance to improve his return skills in the pre-season next year. If he does not show any promise in the pre-season and keeps doing his kick-off nose dives on the 19 yard line at the feet of defenders, well, we can chalk it off to a bad pick and move on.

I say they will release a D gruden doesnt like to release anybody on offence and I say prob quincy Black

[garcia]

cut griese

[willem]

makes sence to cut griese garcia is fully healty, we won with griese but not because of him he has alot of elp from his D we still have mc cown and the jury is still not out on johnson

[James]

For those you who haven't been fans very long, Deckster is not our first or last mistake. Remember Keith McCants or Booker Reese. What about other NFL blunders like Ryan Leaf, Brian Bosworth, or Lawrence Phillips. There's no shame in cutting Deckster Jackson. The shame is in keeping him and cutting a quality player.

Posted by: Oldcrank

Or the 4300 Florida Gators this team has "reached" for?

[James]

Josh Johnson should be gone. Unlike Dexter Jackson, Johnson will offer ZERO to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for as long as Garcia, McCown and Grieseball are here.

If the Bucs released Jackson now he'd be gobbled as quick as DeAngelo Hall was.

[Rick]

Anybody want to bet James is really Dexter Jackson?

[matt]

we need stovall he contributes a heck of alot on every special team except maybe punt return and hes a giant target at WR in red zone situations

[Piper]

If the Bucs released Jackson now he'd be gobbled as quick as DeAngelo Hall was.

Posted by: James | November 08, 2008 at 08:19 AM

Why / how so? Hall actually has some ball skills. Dexter Jackson has no skills... there are plenty of sprinters out there with just as much ball skills as Deckster.

[McHenry]

I hope you were being sarcastic when one of you all said to cut Barber. That was one of the most stupid comments on here, and there are a few. I'm glad Gruden is coaching this team and not some of you all. I say that they should put Stovall or Askew on IR, or if not that, then release Bennett. They can use C. Smith as the KR as well as RB if needed. He just has to stop fumbling.