The Buccaneers needed Zyon McCollum to be a steadying force this season, and so far he has answered that challenge with the kind of play that changes how a defense looks on the field.
After a disappointing 2025, McCollum has bounced back in a major way for Tampa Bay, and his performance against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football may have been his clearest statement yet. In the Buccaneers’ 24-16 upset, he matched up with CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens and won those battles over and over again, turning one of the league’s most dangerous receiver combinations into a non-factor.
According to Bucs reporter Brianna Dix, McCollum allowed zero receptions in 42 coverage snaps and posted a 39.6 passer rating when targeted. He saw Lamb 11 times in matchup situations, with Lamb targeted just once and not coming down with a catch against him.
Against Pickens, McCollum had five matchups, gave up no receptions, was targeted once, and added a pass defensed. Dix also noted that McCollum’s work on the back end forced Dak Prescott to look elsewhere in his progression.
That night in Dallas wasn’t some isolated flash. It fit the bigger picture of what McCollum has done all season. Dix pointed out that among defenders with 150-plus coverage snaps, McCollum’s 68.8 passer rating when targeted ranks third in the NFL and second among cornerbacks.
The Buccaneers’ confidence in McCollum was obvious long before the season kicked off. Tampa let Jamel Dean leave in free agency in March, even after Dean signed a three-year, $36 million deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The team also passed on bringing in cornerbacks during free agency and didn’t address the position until the fourth round of the draft, when it selected Keionte Scott, a slot corner rather than an outside corner like McCollum or Dean.
By the time Tampa set its initial 53-man roster, the cornerback room was thin. The Bucs carried only five corners, with McCollum the only one on the roster who had more than one year of experience. The rest were Scott, undrafted rookie Ayden Garnes, second-year players Jacob Parrish and Benjamin Morrison, who has continued to battle injuries early in his career.
That left McCollum as the veteran the group had to lean on, and he has delivered. Head coach Todd Bowles did not hide how highly he thinks of the way McCollum is playing now.
"Zyon is playing like an All-Pro cornerback right now. He is really watching a lot more film, and he has really been trying to do it physically the last couple of years, not mentally from that standpoint. He is recognizing formations and is understanding what guys are trying to do to him and looking at splits more and seeing down and distance, and that has really helped him play the game a lot easier and looser and a lot smarter, and I think he has really capitalized on that."
Tampa’s start to the season has been rough, but McCollum has been one of the few constants holding things together on the back end.
In Other News...
Bucs Defense Faces A Bigger Test Than Just Stopping The Run
The Buccaneers have built their early-season defensive identity around doing what Todd Bowles has long valued most: taking away the run and forcing offenses to become predictable. Through the first five weeks, Tampa Bay has been especially sturdy against opposing backs, limiting them well below that 58-yard mark and giving the defense a chance to dictate game flow on its own terms. That approach has been a big reason opponents have often ended up chasing the game through the air.
Now comes a different kind of challenge against Pittsburgh. The Steelers have been more effective throwing the ball lately, which means the Bucs cannot lean solely on their run defense and expect the same results. Tampa Bay may still win the early downs battle, but the real test is whether that can translate into enough disruption against a passing game that has started to find its footing. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Have A Kenny Gainwell Decision That Could Bring Back Picks
Kenny Gainwell arrived in Tampa Bay with the expectation that he would play a real offensive role, but five games into the season that usage has not materialized. The Buccaneers have not gotten much in the way of rushing volume or efficiency from the veteran back, which has only sharpened the question of whether he is more useful to them as a piece on the field or as a way to replenish draft capital.
If the Bucs decide to move on, the market should not be empty. Teams dealing with injuries or shaky production in the backfield could have interest, and Tampa Bay could at least ask around while the situation is still fresh. The bigger issue is figuring out whether Gainwells value is high enough to justify a deal now, before his limited role in Tampa drags that return down any further. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Face A Troubling Week 6 Health Question At The Worst Time
The Buccaneers headed into Week 6 with the kind of injury report no team wants to see in midseason, especially with a game against Pittsburgh looming. Tampa Bay and the Steelers both had notable names showing up on the practice report, with several players limited or sidelined as each side tried to get through the week healthier than it started.
For Tampa Bay, the concern starts in the back end and reaches all the way to the most important position on the field. Baker Mayfield was unavailable at practice as he continues to work back from the thumb injury he picked up in Week 3, and Antoine Winfield Jr. is facing a stretch on the sideline after suffering a rib injury. For a team trying to hold its footing in October, those are the kinds of issues that can change the feel of an entire week before it really gets going. [Read more 🡒]