Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Lovie Smith has admitted that his side are still planning to use the free-agent market despite their failures in the 2014 season.
The Buccaneers made several high-profile moves last year, starting when they released All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis, who went on to win the Super Bowl with the New England Patriots.
With the money freed up from Revis's departure, Smith's side signed Alterraun Verner, Anthony Collins and Michael Johnson along with quarterback Josh McCown, who all struggled in the 2014 campaign as the club posted the worst record in the NFL.
"We're building our team through the draft," Smith told reporters. "But you still have to use free agency when you feel the need. We felt the need coming in and didn't know our roster well. We know our roster a lot better now.
"Free agency is coming up. It's not like we're out of the free agency business. Hopefully, we can make some better decisions. Just because something didn't turn out, we're not going to stop playing football.
"We're going to get back up on it and start doing things better. We're going to do a better job in free agency and everything else this year."
The Buccaneers have the first pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, which starts on April 30.
Simon Sinclair
