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INTRO: Right here’s hoping you’ve got a secure, enjoyable and nice Memorial Day weekend. And that you simply take the time to recollect and mirror on the members of the USA Armed Forces who made the final word sacrifice for freedom and the American lifestyle and to defend our nation. God bless America, and revel in this SR’s FAB 5.
FAB 1. Rashad Johnson Might Be Bucs’ Most Vital Assistant Coach
You’re feeling significantly better concerning the Bucs’ defensive entrance now, don’t you?
Tampa Bay added an ass-kicking defensive sort out in A’Shawn Robinson, an brisk defensive sort out in Rakeem Nunez-Roches, a high-motor edge rusher coming off an 11-sack season in Al-Quadin Muhammad and an excellent protection linebacker in Alex Anzalone in free company.
Then the Bucs drafted a nasty, tone-setting alpha edge rusher in Rueben Bain Jr. and a imply, bodily Mike linebacker in Josiah Trotter within the first two rounds.
Greater our bodies, extra bodily gamers, more durable dudes, higher cross rushers.
However you continue to have considerations concerning the secondary, don’t you? Particularly the cornerback place the place Zyon McCollum completely should bounce-back from a poor 2025 season and cornerback Benjamin Morris completely should change into into the participant the Bucs assume he will be as a second-round choose.
Cornerback Jacob Parrish should proceed to ascend and attain his huge potential, whereas rookie Keionte Scott, this 12 months’s fourth-rounder, should develop shortly and be a big-time contributor this season.
You agree with that, proper? Have you learnt what this implies?
It signifies that new cornerbacks coach Rashad Johnson is an important assistant coach in Tampa Bay this season. Johnson, who spent the final 4 years working with former cornerbacks coach Kevin Ross, takes over a room that has essentially the most using on it this season.
Bucs CBs coach Rashad Johnson – Photograph by: Matt Matera/PR
Johnson’s objective is to show what doubtlessly may very well be the Bucs’ weak hyperlink right into a crew energy. I’d accept the cornerbacks being barely above common – simply so long as they aren’t a weak point on protection.
Suppose again to the Gravediggers secondary that helped the Bucs win Tremendous Bowl LV in 2020 and win a franchise-record 13 video games the following 12 months. Cornerbacks Carlton Davis III, Jamel Dean and Sean Murphy-Bunting by no means sniffed a Professional Bowl, however they had been competent enjoying behind a star-studded defensive position that featured Professional Bowl edge rushers Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaq Barrett and a pair of dynamic defensive tackles in Vita Vea and Ndamukong Suh.
That’s what McCollum, Parrish, Morrison and Scott must be this 12 months – at the very least competent, not relentlessly picked on.
Johnson, a former NFL security who performed below Todd Bowles when he was the defensive coordinator in Arizona, is absolutely conscious of the duty at hand. The cornerback play should enhance from a 12 months in the past, particularly with the departure of the unit’s greatest participant, Jamel Dean, in free company.
“It’s simple and plain in those situations – we’ve got to be better,” Johnson mentioned. “Third-and-28, fourth down – you recognize explosive performs on the defensive again finish. You realize these issues can’t occur. You realize these issues lose video games. You realize the usual right here is to make it to the playoffs, after which as soon as we get within the playoffs, clearly to win a Tremendous Bowl.
“So you know we’re still pushing towards those goals. Didn’t reach those goals at all last year, and we’re not going to sugarcoat that. We weren’t good enough on the back end and my job is to help the guys get better to make sure that we can correct those mistakes.”
For McCollum, who signed a profitable three-year, $48 million contract extension final August, he should play with extra consistency and confidence. He wants higher eye self-discipline and should keep his fundamentals down in and down out, recreation in and recreation out.
Johnson mentioned that McCollum doesn’t must really feel the strain of being Superman on the market and that he “doesn’t have to wear the cape every down.” McCollum must be targeted on the duty at hand always and Johnson plans on pushing him to get higher at one completely different factor day by day in follow main as much as coaching camp, after which in the end the beginning of the season.
Bucs CB Zyon McCollum and Eagles WR AJ Brown – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR
With Parrish, whom Johnson says has an “elite skillset,” it’s successfully cross-training him to play each outdoors cornerback and nonetheless enjoying studly inside on the slot place in nickel protection. Bucs legend Ronde Barber is usually considered the prototype nickelback, however he solely moved inside on apparent passing downs and third-and-long conditions. Barber performed outdoors on first and second downs again within the day.
That’s what Parrish have to be able to doing in Tampa Bay in 2026 as he and Morrison will vie for the appropriate to exchange Dean reverse McCollum. Johnson mentioned that Parrish should “manage the complexity” of enjoying each positions, however notes that certainly one of his two interceptions got here from enjoying outdoors cornerback in the course of the season finale within the win over the Panthers. Parrish performed outdoors cornerback at Kansas State, so that have ought to assist his persevering with transition to enjoying outdoors in Bowles’ scheme.
For Morrison, Johnson believes he too has an elite skillset and that he’s lengthy and twitchy. The important thing for Morrison is staying wholesome, which Johnson can’t actually management. Morrison struggled with hamstring points all final 12 months, which value him a month in coaching camp, all the preseason and 7 video games in the course of the common season.
But Morrison performed in 10 video games, together with three begins, and Johnson mentioned he’s wholesome and appears good within the offseason program. So it’s simply pure improvement and gaining extra expertise and confidence at this level.
With Scott, it’s instructing him his position in Tampa Bay’s protection, which will probably be to play nickelback throughout his rookie season. In Bowles’ scheme, that’s a mixture of protection duty and blitzing, which inserts Scott’s skillset completely.
Bucs DB Keionte Scott – Photograph by IMAGN Photographs – Jeff Romance
Johnson known as Scott an “aggressive player who can wreak havoc” and a superb tackler who’s absolutely engaged mentally and loves soccer. He spent the final couple of seasons as the first nickelbacks coach the place he acquired three completely different gamers – Christian Izien, Tykee Smith and Parrish – all able to play the place throughout their rookie seasons.
Johnson will proceed to educate the nickelbacks in addition to the surface cornerbacks this 12 months.
Teaching issues. Simply ask Barber, who credited a younger Mike Tomlin, who started teaching the Bucs secondary in 2001 as Herm Edwards’ substitute, for placing him on a Professional Bowl path and a Corridor of Fame trajectory again within the day.
Johnson doesn’t must be the following Tomlin in Tampa Bay, however there’s a lot using on him being a succesful cornerbacks coach this season as he takes over the room from Ross, who wanted to be let go. Johnson’s not going to convey any new concepts to the desk for Bowles – nor does he must. He simply must do what his job requires him to do, which is develop the gamers within the room.
The Bucs cornerback room has a number of query marks in it proper now, but when Johnson can present the required solutions, his gamers will be capable of cross each take a look at that comes their method on gamedays. And that would assist Bowles’ protection shortly rework into a really formidable unit in 2026.
FAB 2. Bucs Cornerbacks Should Be Prepared For An Aerial Assault In 2026
Rashad Johnson higher have his cornerbacks able to go in Week 1 as a result of the Bucs drew a hell of a season opener on the street at Cincinnati. That’s the place Tampa Bay will face Professional Bowl quarterback Joe Burrow, one of many recreation’s most prolific passers, and a harmful duo at vast receiver with Professional Bowler Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
The Bucs cornerbacks can have their fingers full this season dealing with a 1,000-yard receiver – typically two – practically each week.
Week 1: Bengals WR Ja’Marr ChaseWeek 3: Vikings WR Justin JeffersonWeek 5: Cowboys WRs CeeDee Lamb and George PickensWeek 6: Steelers WR DK MetcalfWeek 7: Panthers WR Tetairoa McMillanWeek 8: Falcons WR Drake LondonWeek 11: Lions WRs Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson WilliamsWeek 12: Panthers WR Tetairoa McMillanWeek 13: Chargers WR Ladd McConkey Week 14: Ravens WR Zay FlowersWeek 16: Falcons WR Drake LondonWeek 17: Rams WRs Puka Nacua and Davante Adams
Bucs CBs Jacob Parrish and Zyon McCollum – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR
And this listing doesn’t embrace some first-round expertise that’s able to producing a 1,000-yard season like Chicago’s Rome Odunze and New Orleans’ Jordyn Tyson. And whereas the Packers and Bears don’t have 1,000-yard receivers on their roster proper now, quarterbacks Jordan Love and Caleb Williams have every taken their respective groups to the postseason early of their careers and lead prolific offenses.
Not solely should Tampa Bay’s cross rush be revved up and able to go this 12 months, however Zyon McCollum wants to achieve his potential and change into a No. 1 cornerback able to shutting down one facet of the sphere. And second-year cornerbacks Jacob Parrish and Benjamin Morrison should keep away from a sophomore droop and proceed to ascend.
In any other case the onslaught of proficient receivers the Bucs will face in 2026 can have a subject day.
FAB 3. New Bucs Coaches Carry A lot-Wanted Power
The Bucs protection acquired a really wanted angle adjustment with the addition of a number of nasty, edgy gamers this offseason, together with defensive sort out A’Shawn Robinson, edge rushers Rueben Bain Jr. and Al-Quadin Muhammad and inside linebacker Josiah Trotter.
Tampa Bay additionally acquired a really wanted power improve on the Bucs defensive teaching employees. After a really disappointing 8-9 season, Todd Bowles made a number of changes to his employees, and it was actually out with the outdated and in with the brand new.
Cornerbacks coach Kevin Ross, who’s 64, was fired and changed by assistant cornerbacks coach Rashad Johnson, who’s 40. Safeties coach Nick Rapone, who’s 70, was “retired” by Bowles, who changed him with assistant safeties coach Tim Atkins, who’s 46.
Bucs assistant DBs coach Rashad Johnson and CB Josh Hayes – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR
Defensive tackles coach Charlie Sturdy, who’s 65, was changed after one season by Marcus West, who’s 42 and beforehand coached the Payments defensive position. Of the Bucs’ place coaches on protection, inside linebackers coach Mike Caldwell is now the oldest at age 54.
In the course of the rookie mini-camp, it was apparent that the brand new assistants had been bringing loads of power, led by West, who was praised by Bowles.
“[He is an] outstanding teacher,” Bowles mentioned. “I think he sweats out there and works harder more than anybody out there. I love him as a teacher. I told him I don’t know CPR, so I can’t give him mouth-to-mouth if he passes out, but he does a very good job explaining the game to those guys and he’s been a great surprise.”
When he was requested at his current press convention about attempting to convey power to his defensive position unit, West was nearly offended by the query.
“You said ‘try’ and that threw me off,” West mentioned. “[Try] is a phrase I don’t use. The power I convey is what I owe to the gamers, it’s what I owe to my guys, it’s what I owe to the occupation, it’s what I owe to the mentors I’ve had. It’s innate.
“I bring it every day – every day – and I tell them to match my energy. A mentor of mine told me this: they’ll go and they’ll follow as you go.’ That’s what he said. They’ll follow as you go. So it’s my job to bring it every day.”
Bucs DL coach Marcus West – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR
The Bucs protection has been criticized for missing power, most notably throughout final 12 months’s late season collapse. If you happen to assume that skilled soccer gamers must be self-motivated resulting from their huge salaries and shouldn’t want coaches to energise them, you’re incorrect.
Soccer gamers are human too, and a 17-game season on the heels of coaching camp will be lengthy and grueling – each bodily and mentally. The position of assistant coaches is to develop their gamers’ abilities and get these gamers to carry out as much as one of the best of their skills.
And it additionally requires them to be motivators.
“It’s a big part of it,” Johnson mentioned. “You realize we’ve gotten youthful at completely different positions – D-line, secondary as effectively. However simply bringing power to the blokes and ensuring that we will match their power, push them, preserve them happening the sphere.
“You know this is a game that takes a lot of longevity, takes a lot of energy, takes a lot of guys that are all in. It’s long days. It’s a long season. So just to being able to continue to bring that energy, keep these guys going because they’re going to need to be motivated throughout the year.”
Bucs HC Todd Bowles and CBs coach Rashad Johnson – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR
Bowles is understood for his calm, stoic demeanor. He’s a tactician and a instructor greater than he’s a motivator – similar to former Bucs head coach Tony Dungy. However Dungy had a number of energetic coaches on his employees, together with Herm Edwards, Monte Kiffin, Rod Marinelli, Mike Tomlin and Joe Barry, who would convey the power that Dungy couldn’t.
It looks like Bowles has made the appropriate strikes by getting among the older, low-energy, stale coaches off his employees and exchange them with youthful, high-energy lecturers.
“It’s not my job to slow down,” West mentioned. “It’s my guys’ job to speed up. And hopefully, ultimately, we’ll see it. We’ll see it when we line up and play.”
FAB 4. Danny Smith Is Right here To Repair The Bucs’ Not-So-Particular Groups
The one space of the teaching employees the place the Bucs really acquired older this 12 months was on particular groups the place senior citizen Danny Smith changed 53-year outdated Thomas McGaughey. However Smith acts extra like a 27-year outdated coach than a 72-year outdated coach on the sphere.
That was obvious when Smith took the sphere in the course of the rookie mini-camp and introduced a ton of power to his unit in the course of the particular groups portion of follow. Smith was loud and was teaching his gamers at a frenetic tempo.
“I don’t know anything but,” Smith mentioned. “I need competition and preparation. I need it. I need it in my life. I need competition and preparation and that’s why I do it, and I love it.”
Bucs ST coordinator Danny Smith – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR
Sure, Smith is 72, however he’s the outlier on this occupation – an exception to the rule – and exhibits no signal of slowing down when most individuals are both retired or considering retirement. Smith begins his thirty first 12 months of teaching within the NFL, and involves Tampa Bay after spending the final 13 seasons in Pittsburgh on Mike Tomlin’s employees.
After final 12 months’s disastrous particular groups in Tampa Bay – outdoors of Chase McLaughlin’s kicking – the Bucs are in dire want of his expertise and his experience.
“I don’t know what the issues were and the teaching methods or practice methods or those kind of things,” Smith mentioned. “All I do know is there are some issues that must be fastened and I’m right here to repair them.
“We’ve got to be better,” Smith mentioned. “In one sentence – we’ve got to be better. Our field position has got to be better for the offense and the defense. We’ve got to be a factor in the outcome of the game in a positive way. You know places I’ve been we’ve won the game on special teams, and I expect to do so here.”
Smith has already gotten rave opinions from the gamers, from Todd Bowles and from basic supervisor Jason Licht. His enthusiasm is infectious, and Smith helped convey a few his core particular teamers – security Miles Killebrew and operating again and kick returner Kenneth Gainwell – to Tampa Bay from Pittsburgh.
Bucs ST coordinator Danny Smith – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR
Smith has been a seamless match alongside different high-energy assistants like defensive position coach Marcus West, cornerbacks coach Rashad Johnson and outdoors linebackers coach Larry Foote amongst others.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for our staff,” Smith mentioned. “I do. We’ve acquired good coaches, we’ve acquired good lecturers, we’ve acquired good power, we’ve acquired good data, we’ve acquired good expertise. And I believe that’s what you search for in a employees. I’ve acquired a number of respect for what Coach Bowles has put collectively right here over the previous couple of years – you recognize 4 out of 5 division championships. There’s lots of people in search of one out of 10 on this world.
“I just have a hell of a lot of respect for him and the coaching staff, and I’m really proud to be a part of it. I’m really looking forward to this season. I’ll probably need an IV [after] our first game because I promise you, I’ll be ready.”
FAB 5. SR’s Buc Pictures
• Bucs cornerbacks coach Rashad Johnson takes over the cornerbacks room for the primary time this 12 months after spending the final 4 seasons helping Kevin Ross. However Johnson acquired his first style of main a room at this 12 months’s Senior Bowl the place he coached the American crew’s defensive backs.
“It definitely helped,” Johnson mentioned of the Senior Bowl expertise. “I acquired my alternative to only to step in and personal the room, have an opportunity to put in, speak to the blokes, study the completely different personalities and simply movement on the sphere. You realize I’m a man that loves soccer, so as soon as we get on the market on the grass that looks like I’m at dwelling. It’s simply an opportunity to take the following step.
“It wasn’t something that was a necessity in order for me to feel comfortable here. I’m comfortable when I’m coaching, I’m comfortable playing ball, I’m comfortable coaching football. So just really excited about getting back to my guys after being with those young guys. And being able to add the great piece of Keionte [Scott], who didn’t participate in the Senior Bowl, but I am looking forward to that opportunity by getting him on the back end. Super excited about it now.”
Bucs CBs coach Rashad Johnson – Photograph courtesy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• New assistant coaches Marcus West and Danny Smith raved about head coach Todd Bowles and the Bucs group throughout their press conferences this week.
“He’s very genuine – a pleasure to work for,” West mentioned of Bowles. “We say this in our room – we want to make him successful. When you have a person like that at the top of it, you come to work to make them successful.”
After spending the final 13 years in Pittsburgh, Smith mentioned the whole Tampa Bay group has made fairly a primary impression on him.
“This organization has done a great job with the culture,” Smith mentioned. “I’ve been in a number of organizations and none of them been unhealthy. However what has been very spectacular to me right here is from the highest down, actually from possession to administration to coaches, the tradition that’s right here is particular. And I really feel it, and I’m proud to be part of it.
“The attendance, in [offseason] sessions like this, with all the things that these young men have in their lives today – as you well know as long as you some of you’ve been covering this stuff – to have everybody in attendance like that here is not natural. It’s a culture that’s been developed, again through ownership through administration through the coaching staff. I’m excited to be a part of it.”
• Other than a myriad of 1,000-yard receivers the Bucs protection will face in 2026, Todd Bowles and Co. may also go to battle with a number of of the NFL’s high quarterbacks. The NFC South will face the AFC North this 12 months, and which means Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson, Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow and Pittsburgh’s Aaron Rodgers are on the schedule.
Moreover, the NFC South additionally performs the NFC North groups, which implies the Bucs will sq. off towards Detroit’s Jared Goff, Inexperienced Bay’s Jordan Love and Chicago’s Caleb Williams. Throw in Dallas’ Dak Prescott and each Los Angeles QBs – Matthew Stafford and Justin Herbert – and Tampa Bay’s protection is in for fairly a problem in 2026.
Hey, at the very least Kirk Cousins can’t harm the Bucs anymore. Cousins went 3-0 as a starter in Atlanta over the past two years, however he’s enjoying in Las Vegas this 12 months and the Raiders aren’t on the schedule.
Former Falcons QB Kirk Cousins – Photograph by: USA At present
Bucs OTA Protection Coming Subsequent Tuesday
The Buccaneers start their OTAs (organized crew actions) subsequent Tuesday and Pewter Report will probably be there to chronicle all the motion. Make sure you learn our follow studies on PewterReport.com and watch our Bucs Start OTAs Pewter Report Podcast at 4:00 p.m. ET on our PewterReportTV YouTube channel.
