AP

Buccaneers linebacker Kwon Alexander said this week that he wants to see the team boost the number of pass rushers on the roster, something that’s hard to do with veteran players without spending a fair amount of money in free agency.

That might leave the draft as the likeliest way that the team addresses that need. General Manager Jason Licht has plenty of salary cap space to work with this offseason, but said this week that the team is wary of devoting too much of it on veterans who have played out contracts with other teams.

“We’ll be selective and strategic,” Licht said, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “We don’t want to put ourselves into a position where if you take the wrong guy and give him too much money, it can disrupt your team. I’ve said since Day 1, we are going to build through the draft. And from Day 1, the most success we’ve had is with draft picks. We still believe the best way for us to go is to draft and develop players. You can’t think you’re going to put yourself over the top by signing these high-dollar guys.”

One player that the Bucs will have to spend some money to keep is running back Doug Martin as Stroud reports that the NFL’s second-leading rusher in 2015 wants to “hit the jackpot” this offseason. Licht said the team has had “great discussions” with Martin, but Stroud expects he’ll hit the open market when free agency opens on March 9. Should he leave, that could change the plan for the Bucs, although there’s a lot of time for things to work themselves out between now and then.