The Buccaneers have spent the offseason looking for help at cornerback, and they found a familiar one in Sean Murphy-Bunting.
Tampa Bay is bringing Murphy-Bunting back on the practice squad, giving the 29-year-old a chance to climb back onto the 53-man roster after the Arizona Cardinals released him. He missed the entire 2025 season while recovering from a torn ACL, so this move is as much about rehabilitation as it is about depth.
The fit makes sense on several levels. The Buccaneers carried only five cornerbacks on their initial 53-man roster, and that left room for an experienced addition.
Zyon McCollum and Jacob Parrish are projected to start on the outside, while Benjamin Morrison, Ayden Garnes and rookie Keionte Scott make up a young group behind them. Scott has a chance to lock down the slot, and Morrison and Garnes are still working to define their roles.
Murphy-Bunting brings something Tampa Bay clearly values: he already knows Todd Bowles' defense from his first four seasons with the team. He has 65 career starts, plus a track record the Buccaneers remember well from their 2020 Super Bowl run, when he picked off passes in each of Tampa Bay's first three playoff games. He also gives Bowles flexibility because he has played both outside and in the slot.
There is still plenty of uncertainty about what Murphy-Bunting looks like after sitting out a full season with a major knee injury. Tampa Bay does not need him to be the same player who helped win Super Bowl LV.
What it does need is a healthy veteran who can handle multiple spots without having to start from square one. For a secondary leaning heavily on youth, that kind of insurance matters, and it should make the cornerback competition even more interesting as the season approaches.
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