Richie Incognito is back; Buccaneers are interested

The NFL has lifted the suspension of guard Richie Incognito — the player at the center of the Miami Dolphins’ locker-room bullying scandal — and at least one interested team is weighing the merits of signing him.

Incognito visited the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday, a team in desperate need of help on the offensive line.

“If you know my history, I do believe in second chances,” Buccaneers Coach Lovie Smith told reporters. “To me, nobody should have a death sentence. If you should, you’re probably in jail.”

Last season, Incognito and two Dolphins teammates were named in an NFL investigation that determined they harassed fellow lineman Jonathan Martin, who walked away from the team in the middle of the season. Incognito was suspended indefinitely, sitting out the second half of the season and then becoming a free agent when his Miami contract expired. Martin was traded to San Francisco, where he was reunited with Coach Jim Harbaugh, his coach at Stanford.

The Buccaneers are especially in need of interior linemen, having recently parted ways with a pair of Pro Bowl guards. They released Davin Joseph as a cost-cutting move, then released Carl Nicks, who missed most of last season with a staph infection.

Smith defended the interest in Incognito.

“What does it hurt to talk to someone?” he said. “For me, as we go forward, I’m not holier than thou. I’m going to give everybody the benefit of the doubt until I have information that tells me otherwise.”