Free-agent safety T.J. Ward is not expected back with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports.
Ward was signed to a one-year, $5-million contract in 2017 after spending the previous three seasons with the Broncos, but the signing did not yield the expected return. The thumping safety struggled with injuries and inconsistent play during his only season with the Bucs, playing limited snaps as a rotational player.
Rapoport expects Ward to have a strong market in a shallow free-agent safety group, but his age (31) and decline in play may have an impact on the level of interest he garners.
A second-round pick of the Browns in 2010, Ward was reportedly arrested for marijuana possession immediately after the season, though his agent immediately denied it.
