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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers upgraded their struggling offensive line, trading for six-time Pro Bowl guard Logan Mankins instead of offering a contract to free agent Richie Incognito.

That doesn't mean, however, that the Bucs have closed the door on the prospect of giving one of the players at the center of the Miami Dolphins bullying scandal a chance to resume his career.

After acquiring Mankins in exchange for second-year tight end Tim Wright and an undisclosed draft pick on Tuesday, coach Lovie Smith and general manager Jason Licht said Incognito remains an ''option'' if they decide to make more changes to an overhauled line that will begin the regular season with four new starters.

''We try to not to talk about putting a period behind many things. Everything is ongoing. If a player is available out there, there's still possibilities,'' Smith said. ''But we like our football team where we are right now. We've made a lot of improvements. We feel like we're in pretty good shape going into the season.''

The deal came less than 24 hours after the Bucs met with Incognito to try to determine if the 31-year-old who's coming off serving a suspension for his role in last season's bullying scandal might be an answer to their problems at guard.

Smith described Incognito's visit as ''informative,'' adding that the 2012 Pro Bowl selection with the Dolphins was able to answer ''all of the questions I had'' in the face-to-face meeting.

While it's unclear what will happen with Incognito moving forward, Smith and Licht stressed they felt fortunate to be able to add a player the caliber of Mankins.