Now this one is interesting.

In the offseason, one the Bucs’ impressive coaching hires was defensive line leader Jay Hayes, pried from the Bengals after many successful years there.

And now a Vikings reporter, Darren Wolfson, Twitters that the Vikings and Bucs are among the teams sniffing longtime Bengals right tackle Andre Smith.

Smith just turned 29 and some consider him a recovered bust. Smith was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. But that was before the rookie salary cap. Smith was a holdout and missed all of training camp and preseason, and then he broke his leg. His 2010 season was then cut short by a broken foot.

Then came the asinine 2011 lockout, but Smith emerged with a strong season and has been a steady and largely healthy presence at right tackle since.

Joe can’t imagine the Bucs would be interested in Smith without the blessing of Hayes, which is good enough for Joe.

Man, if the Bucs ink Smith, then they’re entire starting offensive line would be under 30 and littered with beastly run blockers. That’s a good combination for a deep backfield and a young quarterback.