The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lack outside cornerback depth. The team has slot options, but not enough talent on the outside, according to Aaron Schatz of ESPN.
On paper, they do have two capable starters that they invested in. However, both of them bring in massive questions. Zyon McCollum looked like a breakout player after 2024, and the Bucs were betting on it, which is why they gave him a massive extension. However, his 2025 season was not nearly as good and featured him being banged up.
The Bucs drafted Benjamin Morrison in round 2 of the 2025 NFL draft with the intention that he would be a starter by now. However, injuries were a story for his rookie season, and he started in just three games while appearing in 10 games. He was mostly depth behind Jamel Dean, who left in free agency for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The big issue with Morrison is that he fell to round 2 because teams were concerned about his health status. On the field, he can be a legitimate starter, but enough teams were concerned with that before the draft, and it has played out so far.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Lack Cornerback Depth
GettyThe Buccaneers have freed up $5.25 million in salary cap space by restructuring Zyon McCollum’s contract
The Bucs have to believe in both of them, considering the investments they have made in the past two years. So, it makes sense that they would not go out of their way to replace them or bring in competition. However, the depth on the roster is not strong, either.
The team has Dammarion Williams and Josh Hayes listed as their backups. Hays is a former 2023 draft pick, but he has 121 career snaps and played just one NFL snap last season. Williams spent all of last year on the Bucs practice squad.
Tampa Bay has Jacob Parrish, Keionte Scott, and Chase Lucas as options in the slot, so if the team got desperate, they could shift one of them to the outside. That would likely be Parrish. Still, if Morrison continues to have injury issues or McCollum continues to struggle, the team is in major trouble.
Bucs Have Options to Sign in Free Agency
The good news is that the team can sign a few notable options in free agency. We are now at the point in free agency where none of these options are going to be huge hindrances on the cap. They also might see Tampa Bay as a smart place to sign because of the open competition and questions at the starting spots.
Marshon Lattimore, L’Jarius Sneed, Trevon Diggs, and Tredavious White are all still currently available. None of them are quite going to live up to the name value that comes with them. However, all of them are capable veterans who could slide in if something bad happened.
These are the type of insurance options that the Bucs will need to keep an eye on considering how many questions they currently have in their cornerback room. Do not be surprised to see them bring in a few of these names for a workout as we get closer to training camp.
Buccaneers Facing Major Questions at Cornerback Entering 2026