The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have gotten steady help from an unexpected place lately: the secondary, and more specifically, the cornerback room.
That group opened the year with plenty of questions, but it has quickly become one of the team’s clearest strengths. The Bucs defense has held up well over the past couple of weeks against the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys, keeping Tampa Bay in those games. If the offense had done more, the conversation around this team would look a lot different.
Jacob Parrish has been the headliner. He entered the offseason with added pressure because he was expected to move from inside corner to outside corner, a shift driven by the lack of depth. Parrish has handled the change well and already made several plays on the ball, including an interception this season.
Zyon McCollum has also rebounded in a big way. After a disappointing 2025 season that had plenty of fans ready to move on, he has answered with strong outings against CeeDee Lamb and Ja’Marr Chase. That kind of work has brought him back to the level that earned him the major extension with the Buccaneers in the first place.
There have been other pleasant surprises, too. Keionte Scott, a rookie nickel corner, has done excellent work in a short amount of time with the team. He still has mistakes in his game, but the fourth-round rookie has been hard to knock overall.
Benjamin Morrison has shown real progress when healthy. His play has been better this season, especially against the run, even though staying on the field remains an issue. It is a major step forward from his rookie year, when he looked completely out of place, and it could give Tampa Bay some needed depth if he can stay healthy.
For now, the cornerback room looks like a real strength for the Buccaneers, and there is reason to think it can keep growing from here.
In Other News...
Buccaneers Are Stuck In A Debate Fans Know Too Well
A familiar kind of unease has settled over Tampa Bay after the Buccaneers stumbled to a 1-4 start in 2026, the sort of opening that tends to drag old questions back into the conversation. This is a franchise that has lived through plenty of extremes over the years, from lean stretches to the high points of Super Bowl runs under Tony Dungy, Jon Gruden and, more recently, Tom Brady, so the mood around the team can turn quickly when the results do.
Todd Bowles has kept insisting there is still time for the season to swing back in the right direction, and that optimism is part of what makes the current debate so recognizable for Buccaneers fans. The frustration is real, both in the locker room and in the stands, but so is the sense that this team has seen enough swings before to know the story is not fully written yet. [Read more 🡒]
Baker Mayfield's Push To Return Has Bucs Fans Watching One Thing
Baker Mayfields recovery from a dislocated thumb has become one of the bigger watch items around the Buccaneers this week, with his status for Tampa Bays Week 6 matchup against the Steelers still unsettled. Todd Bowles has said he expects rookie Jalon Daniels to start again if Mayfield cannot go, which leaves the Bucs preparing as if they may need to ride with the young quarterback for a third straight game.
Mayfield is reportedly pushing to return sooner than originally anticipated, but the final call will come down to the medical staff and how the thumb responds as he heals. The real test is whether he can handle the football without pain and get the grip he needs to operate normally, and until that happens, Tampa Bay is stuck waiting on the most basic question of all: whether its starter is ready. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Face A Risky Baker Mayfield Decision Against Pittsburgh
Baker Mayfields status has become one of the more delicate decisions facing Tampa Bay as it weighs whether to bring its quarterback back for the Steelers. Mayfield is still working his way back from the dislocated thumb he suffered in Week 3, and the Buccaneers have at least seen a capable stopgap in Jalon Daniels, who steadied the offense well enough to help them pick up their first win of the season.
The problem is the balance between urgency and caution. Rushing Mayfield back could leave Tampa Bay vulnerable if the thumb is not ready for full game action, yet sticking with the current setup raises its own questions about how much the offense can grow without its starter. With Pittsburgh on deck, the Buccaneers are in the awkward spot of trying to protect both their quarterback and their momentum at the same time. [Read more 🡒]