Todd Bowles has found a rookie who can do a little bit of everything, and Keionte Scott has wasted no time making himself useful for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
While top draft pick Rueben Bain Jr. has taken a slower path into his NFL career, other first-year players have already forced their way into the conversation. Josiah Trotter has put himself in the Defensive Rookie of the Year mix with his early work, and Scott, the former Miami defensive back, has slid cleanly into Bowles’ defense.
Through five weeks, Scott has logged 25 tackles, two stuffs and two passes defensed. More than the raw numbers, it’s the way he’s being used that stands out. He has handled work at nickel and on the outside, and he’s shown he can bring value as a run defender all over the formation.
That versatility showed up in Tampa Bay’s 24-16 win over Dallas on Thursday. Scott finished with a career-best seven tackles and broke up a pass from Dak Prescott. The breakup came on a blitz, as he knifed through the middle and helped force an incompletion off a tipped ball.
Scott’s college tape already hinted at this kind of impact. Playing alongside Bain, he was a key piece for a Miami defense that powered its way to a title game appearance. He earned second-team All-ACC honors after putting up 64 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and five sacks.
He also turned in two interceptions, and both went back for touchdowns. The defining play came in last year’s Cotton Bowl, when he read a screen, jumped the route and returned it for six. That score gave Miami a 14-0 lead over Ohio State, and the Canes went on to win 24-14.
Scott also delivered in a tough matchup against Texas A&M, piling up 10 tackles and two sacks while forcing a fumble. Miami held the Aggies to just three points, and Scott was everywhere in that game.
Those 13 tackles for loss jump off the page for a defensive back, but they fit the way he plays. He keeps finding his way into the backfield even when he starts from the second level, and that’s exactly the kind of player Bowles likes to deploy. The Buccaneers’ head coach loves to bring defensive backs down toward the line of scrimmage and create blitz chances, and Scott looks like a natural fit.
With Benjamin Morrison and Antoine Winfield Jr. still sidelined by injuries, Tampa Bay needs Scott to keep moving around and keep producing. And with Aaron Rodgers throwing nine passing touchdowns over his past three games and the Steelers pushing for the AFC North lead, the Bucs know a win in that matchup would put them right back into the mix in their own division.
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