The Tampa Bay Buccaneers don’t have many answers at cornerback despite paying a king’s ransom at the position in the last few years.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox proposed a trade that might fix some of the Buccaneers’ woes, suggesting they swap a conditional 2027 3rd-round pick for Cleveland Browns cornerback Tyson Campbell.
“No one expected the Browns to be particularly good in 2026,” Knox wrote on September 16. “If Week 1 is an accurate indication, though, Cleveland is even worse than everyone thought. Deshaun Watson continues to look like a quarterback who can’t get it done. Both Todd Monken and defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg appear to be in over their heads. The Browns should be looking to chase 2027 draft capital in their pursuit of a quality quarterback. Starting corner Tyson Campbell could potentially bring some. He started 12 games for Cleveland last season and allowed an opposing passer rating of just 84.8 in coverage. Campbell is also just 26 years old and under contract through 2028. With an annual salary of $19.1 million, he’s on the pricier side, but he should interest contenders who need a cornerback.”
Tyson Campbell Landed Massive Contract With Jags
Campbell, 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, starred at the University of Georgia for 3 seasons before leaving school early to enter the NFL Draft. He cemented his draft stock by running the 40-yard dash in 4.36 seconds at Georgia’s Pro Day.
The Jacksonville Jaguars drafted Campbell in the 2nd round (No. 33 overall) in the 2021 NFL Draft. He became a plug-and-play starter. He signed a massive, 4-year, $76.5 million contract extension before the 2024 season.
The Jaguars traded Campbell to the Jaguars 5 games into the 2025 regular season in exchange for cornerback Greg Newsome and swapping Day 3 picks as well.
Buccaneers Don’t Have Answers at Cornerback
In recent years, the Buccaneers have shown little acuity at identifying and retaining talent in the secondary — mainly by paying the wrong people.
Cornerback Carlton Davis signed a 3-year, $44.5 million contract extension in 2022 and was traded to the Detroit Lions a few miserable seasons later.
Cornerback Jamel Dean signed a 4-year, $52 million contract extension in 2023 and the team was so unhappy with his play that they negotiated a way for him to become a free agent after this season instead of playing out his deal.
Safety Antoine Winfield Jr. signed a record-setting 4-year, $84.1 million contract extension before the 2024 season and responded by missing a career-high 8 games.
Cornerback Zyon McCollum signed a 3-year, $48 million contract before the 2025 season. He had arguably the worst season of his pro career after he missed 5 games and ended the season on injured reserve.
Bold Bucs Trade Pitch Lands $86 Million AFC Cornerback