Ayden Garnes has gone from camp curiosity to one of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ most talked-about preseason names, but the undrafted rookie cornerback isn’t pretending he’s arrived at the top of the depth chart.
His rise has been fast. When Tampa Bay first brought him in, the path looked narrow: survive camp, maybe battle for a practice-squad spot, and try to hang around. Instead, Garnes has turned himself into a roster lock with a real shot at playing time this season.
That leap started in the Buccaneers’ preseason opener against the New York Jets, when Garnes delivered a 47-yard pick-six that helped flip the game and spark a comeback win. He kept stacking strong practices after that and carried the momentum into Tampa Bay’s second preseason game as well. With Benjamin Morrison sidelined for much of the offseason, Garnes has taken full advantage of the extra reps.
Even with all that buzz, Garnes is keeping his footing. He said his focus has been on earning a job, and that anything beyond that can wait. When asked about where he stands compared with Tampa Bay’s established corners, he was blunt about his current place.
“I’m not in the role to go start right now… the position I’m in is, ‘Can he play quality snaps behind these guys?’”
That honesty matches the way the Buccaneers seem to be viewing him. He has flashed enough to force the conversation, but he still has development ahead of him before he’s ready to climb into a starting role. Tampa Bay already has young corners like Zyon McCollum, Jacob Parrish, Morrison, and fellow rookie Keionte Scott in the mix, so there’s no rush to force him into anything.
Still, the fact that Garnes is even being discussed in those terms says plenty about how quickly he has raised his stock. The same goes for quarterback Jalon Daniels, another undrafted rookie whose early success has been one of the biggest stories of Tampa Bay’s offseason. Both players have surged from longshots to roster locks over the last couple of weeks.
And for a Buccaneers cornerback group that had questions hanging over it all offseason, Garnes’ emergence could end up being a major answer.
In Other News...
Buccaneers Suddenly Have A Backup Quarterback Question To Weigh
The Browns decision to keep Deshaun Watson atop the depth chart for Week 1 has only sharpened the conversation around Shedeur Sanders, who impressed enough in the preseason to keep himself in the mix as a young quarterback with some real intrigue. After starting seven games as a rookie, Sanders enters the season in a familiar but awkward spot for a team that has to balance patience with the possibility that another club could come calling if it wants a backup with upside.
For the Buccaneers, that is the kind of question that tends to linger once the roster settles and the league starts looking for solutions behind center. Tampa Bay is among the teams mentioned as a possible fit, alongside the Rams, Eagles and Ravens, but nothing has moved beyond speculation at this point. The interesting part is not whether Sanders is available right now, but whether a team like the Bucs decides his talent is worth pressing for before the market tightens. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs May Have Found A Low-Cost Answer To A Troubling Depth Issue
Cody Ford has popped up as a possible low-cost addition for Tampa Bay, a move that would give the Buccaneers another veteran option along an offensive line that could use more reliable depth. Released by the Bengals, Ford brings a familiar blend of experience and versatility, with starts at both guard and tackle over the last five NFL seasons.
There is also a small layer of familiarity here that could matter as Tampa Bay weighs its options. Ford and Baker Mayfield were college teammates at Oklahoma during Mayfields Heisman season in 2017, and that shared history could be part of what makes Ford an appealing fit as the Bucs look for help without making a major financial commitment. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Suddenly Have A Backup QB Problem They Can't Easily Solve
The Buccaneers are suddenly staring at a backup quarterback situation that looks less settled than it did a few weeks ago. Behind Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay has been sorting through Jake Brownings veteran experience and Jalon Daniels more dynamic preseason showing, and the contrast between the two has made the decision more interesting than expected.
Browning brings the kind of familiarity and steadiness teams usually want in a reserve, but Daniels has flashed the upside that can make a coaching staff pause. For a Buccaneers team that wants clarity behind its starter, the question now is whether it leans on the safer option or bets on the younger passer with more juice. [Read more 🡒]