The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had been without their former second-round draft pick for more than a week as he recovered from a hamstring injury. However, right before the Bucs’ first preseason game, Morrison was able to get back on the field.
While the news is encouraging for his chances to play in the regular season, he likely returned too late to get much, if any, game action in the preseason opener. He also might not have enough time to push Jacob Parrish out of the role of the every-down cornerback.
Now, the question is whether he can see the field in nickel situations when the regular season comes.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Get Good News on Injured Cornerback Benjamin Morrison
GettyTampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Benjamin Morrison.
All indications are that Parrish has won the starting outside cornerback job. However, that is just in two-cornerback sets. When the team shifts into three cornerbacks, they could still shift Parrish back into the slot. So, Morrison would not be a full-time player, but he does get a chance to see the field enough.
However, he is currently being pushed for that role as well. All indications are that fourth-round rookie Keionte Scott has done a strong job stepping into the nickel role. He was a safety, but mostly played in the nickel in college.
So, the Bucs could start Scott and keep Parrish on the outside. It is going to depend on Morrison’s development. He was not going to win the job while sidelined with an injury, so this is his chance to win the job.
Buccaneers Need Morrison to Improve in 2026 Season
Morrison was a second-round pick from Notre Dame, and many saw him with first-round traits on the field. However, he never completed a full season starting in college due to an array of injuries. The Bucs took a shot on him, but his biggest weakness has caught up to him so far.
Morrison was in and out of the lineup last season. The issue is that hamstrings were one of the many problems that Morrison faced. Still, the team had Jamel Dean, and they did not expect Morrison to play much in his rookie season.
The issue is that when he did, it was not the same caliber of player they saw at Notre Dame.
Perhaps it was due to the lack of practice time and not being able to fully make the jump into the NFL’s speed of the game in the preseason.
Still, he ended up with 360 snaps in his rookie year. PFF grades are not the end-all, but he had a 47 grade, which is well below average.
Now he is entering his second season in the NFL, and expectations are already starting to diminish. If he cannot beat out Scott, the team will have almost no expectations for him other than being a depth player entering his third NFL season. That would be a fast fall for the former top 60 pick.
This is a big couple of weeks for Morrison with the Bucs.
Buccaneers Defender Returns From Injury With Job on the Line