TAMPA, Fla -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have washed their hands of Austin Seferian-Jenkins and in turn, waved goodbye to one-third of "The Dunkaneers."

General manager Jason Licht used the phrase after he hauled in 6-foot-5 Mike Evans at No.7 and the 6-foot-5 Seferian-Jenkins at No. 38 in the 2014 NFL draft. His idea was to pair them with 6-foot-5 veteran Vincent Jackson -- who was coming off his third consecutive 1,000-yard season -- creating huge mismatches on the outside and over the middle.

That vision never fully manifested, though. The Bucs cut ties with Seferian-Jenkins Friday after he was arrested and charged with a DUI in Tampa, his second DUI. He wasn’t released from jail until after the team’s practice ended.

“We are very disappointed in today’s news,” Licht said in a statement. “After careful consideration, we felt this was the right decision at this time.”

Licht knew about Seferian-Jenkins’ past. In 2013 he pleaded guilty to DUI after he was involved in a single-car crash. Police found his vehicle in an open catch basin in a public park near the University of Washington. His face had smashed into the windshield and was bloodied. When police obtained a warrant to test his blood-alcohol level four hours later, it measured 0.18. He was sentenced to one day in jail and put on five years’ probation.

Licht’s guiding principles when looking at players with off-field issues are: "Is he a bad player or an immature player?” and “How much does he really love football?” He used those principles when he was with the Cardinals and drafted Tyrann Mathieu, who had failed multiple drug tests at LSU, was arrested, and entered a drug rehabilitation program.

Seferian-Jenkins’ first two seasons in Tampa were hampered by ankle, back and shoulder injuries, forcing him to miss 16 of 32 games. He managed 42 catches for 559 receiving yards and five touchdowns in that span. There wasn’t a peep off the field, unless you count the Captain Morgan touchdown celebration and a subsequent Instagram post that drew the ire of then-coach Lovie Smith. The only knocks on him were that he was fragile and inconsistent.

Under Dirk Koetter, though, things headed south. Seferian-Jenkins was kicked out of the final day of OTAs because he wasn’t fit to practice. Cameron Brate passed him on the depth chart. He fought hard in camp to regain his spot and publicly praised Koetter for kicking him out of practice, saying, "This was the best thing that could have happened to me. ... I thank God every day that Coach Koetter kicked me out."

Against the Falcons in Week 1, he raced down the middle of the field and dove into the end zone to score. Evans followed with his own deep touchdown catch. It was what fans had been dying to see -- bang, bang. But the fireworks didn't last long. There was a glimmer of hope, a flash of greatness and then a disappearing act -- and that's what his time in Tampa will be known as.

Does this mean Licht will think twice rolling the dice on players with off-field concerns? He did it with second-round pick Noah Spence this year. Spence had failed drug tests at Ohio State, was declared permanently ineligible by the Big Ten and completed a drug rehab program. He recorded his first sack last week and has been a model teammate since arriving in Tampa.

Two years ago, they drafted Jameis Winston with the first overall pick. Winston had been accused of sexual assault at Florida State and was cited for shoplifting at a Publix supermarket. Florida State settled with the accuser for $950,000 for how it handled the allegations. Winston has not had an off-field incident since coming to Tampa and is one of the most visible players in the community.

Jackson had two DUIs when he was with the Chargers and was suspended for three games. He's had zero off-field issues since arriving in Tampa in 2012. He was last year's NFL Salute to Service Award winner for his work supporting local military, and was named Bucs' Man of the Year for the third consecutive season.

But for every Vincent Jackson, there's a Tanard Jackson. There are players who grow up, and then there are those who can't get out of their own way despite enormous potential. It's up to people like Licht to discern who his team can take in and nurture. Aqib Talib somehow seemed to get it together. LeGarrette Blount seemed to grow up, too, but for both players, it meant leaving Tampa. Maybe the same will hold true for Seferian-Jenkins.

If there's a lesson to be learned, it's this: The NFL draft is a crapshoot. Licht's acknowledged that with his "no risk-it, no biscuit" talk -- a motto he adopted from Cardinals coach Bruce Arians, with whom he worked in Arizona in 2013. Sometimes a team's hopes for the future just doesn't manifest, and later on down the road, in different circumstances and conditions, those visions become part of another team's reality.