Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Bruce Carter will visit the New York Jets this week in the hopes of landing with the franchise after being released by the Buccaneers. The team signed Carter to a four-year $17 million deal in 2015 and released him a year later.
It is not entirely his fault, as he was replaced in this Tampa Bay defense by rookie standout linebacker Kwon Alexander. Carter was originally drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 2011 and was their second overall pick. He spent four years with the Cowboys, but when his rookie contract ended, he decided to chase the free agent money and landed with the Buc's.
He had a pretty solid 2015 season despite only starting in three games, as he recorded 47 combined tackles, two sacks and two pass defenses. Carter could have been the starter and remained with the team if Alexander had not come in and overachieved for a fourth round pick.
Carter has five seasons of solid productivity under his belt, and the Jets have a desperate need for some added depth at the linebacker position. He has had somewhat of a mixed bag when it comes to production over the course of a season. For the Cowboys, he started in double digit games throughout the 2012-2013 seasons but only recorded two sacks, five pass defenses and no interceptions.
During his contract year, however, Carter only started in eight games for Dallas but racked up and impressive five interceptions and a defensive touchdown. Throughout his career, he has recorded 289 combined tackles, five sacks, 16 pass defenses and five interceptions. Carter is an extremely gifted athlete, but he has rarely shown his full potential on the football field. The Jets could utilize him as a depth addition before the 2016 NFL Draft so they can focus on one less need with their 20th overall pick.
The Jets will need to fill a ton of holes in this roster, as they lost six key free agents and have another three still waiting to decide their fate. The Jets lost productive nose tackle Damon Harrison to crosstown rival the New York Giants, running back Chris Ivory to the Jacksonville Jaguars, and inside linebacker Demario Davis to the Cleveland Browns.
They still need to decide the fate of their most successful quarterback in recent memory, Ryan Fitzpatrick, after adding former Chicago Bear Matt Forte to help solidify this running game. Adding Carter to this defense could easily be a step in replacing some of the production that they have lost this offseason.
