Cato June fits the Tampa Bay scheme since he played in the same scheme with the Colts, but won’t be playing the weakside spot while Derrick Brooks remains a Buccaneer.  We’ll trust Monte Kiffin to fit June into his defense in the same mode of Sheldon Quarles.

June is a very good athlete who covers a lot of ground and makes a lot of plays, especially in pass coverage.  He’s not going to fill gaps and will miss a few tackles, leading to mixed reviews from most scouts and ultimately kept him out of the initial free agent hoopla since most evaluators view June as a system player.    

One area where June bolsters the Tampa Bay defense will be in the nickel alignments.  With Sheldon Quarles facing a very uncertain future following an injury-ravaged season, they could have been faced with a significant problem when they are in their two-linebacker alignments on passing downs without signing June.  Brooks and June will make it difficult for opposing quarterbacks to find open areas in the intermediate passing game on third downs. 

With Brooks and June on the field at the same time, they’ll need another linebacker to handle the dirty work.  Barrett Ruud could get an opportunity to play on run downs.  Ruud has shown toughness and the ability to fight off blockers. 

More Free Agency Thoughts:

Chief add interior depth: The addition of Alfonso Boone doesn’t solve the need for a difference maker at defensive tackle in Kansas City, but this is a solid move to strengthen their interior depth.  Boone is a capable rotation type with good size and strength at the point of attack.  He’s effective against the run within his limited range, which is much needed in Kansas City. 

Phil Savage pulls a savvy move: The Browns made a savvy decision when they decided to pursue former Bengal Shaun Smith.  Smith has established himself as a rotational player in Cincinnati the past two seasons and could develop into a solid nose tackle in the Browns’ 3-4 scheme.  Nose tackles are hard to come by and adding a young prospect potentially on the upswing like Smith is worthwhile investment.  Smith is strong and understands how to play with leverage.  He has the ability to occupy blockers inside and push the pocket with his natural power.   With Ted Washington finally nearing the end, Smith arrives in Cleveland with tremendous opportunity. 

Titans add veteran stability at cornerback: As PacMan Jones faces a shaky future in Tennessee, the Titans secured a much needed veteran presence in former Colt Nick Harper.  The biggest question with Harper is how he’ll adjust outside the cover-2 scheme.  Harper is an instinctive veteran who is quick to react to the ball – especially on plays in front of him.  Harper can be exposed in straight man coverage downfield in some schemes because he likes top-end speed and ideal size against opponents’ top receivers.  And that’s going to be the biggest question for the Titans heading into the season assuming Jones won’t be on the field.  In Harper and Reynaldo Hill, the Titans have two corners who have some natural savvy, but lack ideal matchup ability.  That means Titans’ defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz will have to design a lot of zone coverage schemes to protect his corners and maximize their strengths.  One player to also watch at cornerback for the Titans will be Cortland Finnegan.  Finnegan also lacks ideal speed, but shows natural athletic instincts to make things happen and shows a knack to blitz off the corner. 

Saints bolster secondary: The Saints made a solid move with the addition of former Bengal safety Kevin Kaesviharn to bolster their depth in the secondary.  Kaesviharn lacks ideal speed as a free safety and the size to play up in the box, but he’s simply a productive extra defender in the secondary.  Kaeshivarn is very instinctive and smart on the field.  He’s simply around the ball a lot.  The Saints have a solid young duo developing at safety with Roman Harper (coming off a knee injury) and Josh Bullocks along with the addition of Kaeshivarn.