TAMPA, Fla. -- After staying quiet at defensive end all offseason, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are starting to make some noise.
We've already told you that they have a signed offer sheet from Detroit defensive end George Johnson, a restricted free agent, and the Lions are down to four days to decide whether to match it.
But the Bucs aren't stopping there. Greg Auman reports that Utah's Nate Orchard and Washinton's Andrew Hudson are scheduled to visit One Buccaneer Place in the coming days. Orchard and Hudson could be possibilities in the second or third rounds.
Both players have shown they can generate pressure on quarterbacks from the outside. Orchard had 18.5 sacks last season and Hudson had 12.5.
The five defensive ends on Tampa Bay's current roster (Jacquies Smith, Larry English, William Gholston, T.J. Fatinikun and Lawrence Sidbury) combined for 10 sacks last season and Smith accounted for 6.5 of those.
The Bucs previously parted ways with Michael Johnson, who was a free-agent bust last season. Even if the Bucs do land Johnson, it's likely they'll seek another pass-rusher in the draft.
