The Sports Xchange

TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are at an impasse in contract talks with right tackle Demar Dotson, who has decided not to attend voluntary organized team activities or the mandatory minicamp.

That forced the team to withdraw a multi-year offer, citing a policy of not negotiating with players while they are absent from team activities.

If Dotson keeps his vow to miss the mandatory minicamp, he will be subject to fines of more than $80,000.

Dotson signed a three-year extension in 2013 and will be paid $2.5 million this season, but he is unhappy with that and is looking for a bump in pay.

But there was no way the Bucs would continue to negotiate with a player who isn’t in camp.

Dotson is among the Bucs’ most consistent players on an offensive line that underperformed last season. But he has two years left on his contract and the team did not have to be receptive to extending his deal.

All-Pro linebacker Lavonte David, whose rookie contract expires after 2015, has not missed a workout. And the Bucs don’t really want to set a precedent of players gaining leverage by withholding their services.

What’s more, the Bucs are trying to learn a new offense under coordinator Dirk Koetter and every rep is valuable to Dotson.

Certainly, Dotson is not irreplaceable.

The Bucs could move second-year pro Kevin Pamphile to left tackle, and last year’s starting right guard, Patrick Omameh, has switched back to tackle, where he played at Michigan.

“This is my approach to voluntary workouts,” coach Lovie Smith said. “They’re voluntary. I’d like for everybody to be here every time we have an opportunity to, but if a guy chooses not to for whatever reason, that’s them.

“Next week everything’s mandatory. I’m concerned if someone doesn’t show up for mandatory work.”

Despite Dotson’s plans to not attend minicamp, Smith remained optimistic.

“I assume,” Smith said. “I don’t get into guessing what guys are going to do. I assume everyone will be here next week; hopefully they will.”

–With Dotson missing from OTAs, Omameh has slid over from right guard to tackle to fill the void.

“It’s not something I haven’t done before,” Omameh said Thursday after practice. “It’s like riding a bike.”

Omameh has experience as a tackle on both sides of the line. He started his college career at Michigan at both tackle spots before moving to right guard, where he started 41 consecutive games.

Omameh also spent some time at tackle in 2013 during his rookie season with the San Francisco 49ers.

–The Bucs have been impressed with safety D.J. Swearinger, whom they claimed off waivers from the Houston Texans.

“We feel like we picked up a draft pick, really, by getting a player like that,” Smith said. “He can play the run. Good instincts. Smart. Everything you want to see a guy be able to do running around in underwear, he’s been able to do. His strong suit is supposed to be when he gets in pads. We like him being on the team.”

–The Bucs finished up OTAs on Thursday and will begin their mandatory minicamp next week. Smith said his team has improved in the offseason.

“We are a lot better,” Smith said. “We have gotten a lot better since the first couple of days. We got most of our situations in. New offensive coordinator got our new offensive system in place. Defensive guys, we have seen marked improvement every day. Really feel good about where we are right now. At the same time, we are excited about finishing it up next week.

“Our minicamp practices, the schedule won’t change that much. We’ll have three more good days, take a little break and then of course we’ll get a chance to really evaluate some of our guys, like our linemen. You can’t tell a lot about our linemen right now, so can’t wait for training camp to be here.”

–The defense had four interceptions in 10 minutes Thursday from Michael Jenkins, C.J. Wilson, Swearinger and Isaiah Frey against three quarterbacks in skeleton drills.

–The Buccaneers announced the signing of guard Ali Marpet, one of their two second-round draft choices.