QUESTION: Is it going to be Jacob Parrish within the slot or is it going to be Keionte Scott and Parrish fights for an out of doors cornerback spot with Benjamin Morrison?
ANSWER: This can be a actually good query, and it’s on the minds of quite a lot of Bucs followers proper now. The reply to this query received’t come till the preseason when the competitors will seemingly be sorted out in August. Right here’s what we all know proper now earlier than OTAs, mini-camp and coaching camp.
The Bucs need Benjamin Morrison to essentially come on and dwell as much as his second-round draft standing. The crew believes that may occur if he can keep wholesome this 12 months. Fixed hamstring accidents value him quite a lot of developmental time final August as he missed 4 weeks in coaching camp and all the preseason. He performed in 10 video games with three begins but additionally missed seven video games resulting from hamstring accidents throughout his rookie season.
Jacob Parrish, final 12 months’s third-round choose, performed in all 17 video games and received the nickelback job in coaching camp. He had a really promising rookie season and completed with seven cross breakups, two interceptions, two sacks and a fumble restoration. As a result of accidents to Zyon McCollum and Jamel Dean, Parrish additionally had a couple of begins at outdoors cornerback and regarded considerably snug there as a result of reality he performed outdoors at Kansas State. Proper now, he’s the higher of the 2 drafted cornerbacks from a 12 months in the past resulting from his on-field expertise.
Bucs CBs Jacob Parrish and Zyon McCollum – Picture by: Cliff Welch P/R
The plan is to have Parrish and Morrison battle for the precise to switch Jamel Dean reverse Zyon McCollum this offseason and in coaching camp. If Parrish wins the skin job, it received’t essentially imply that he received’t play nickelback, both. Bucs Corridor of Famer Rondé Barber was an out of doors cornerback on first and second downs and solely kicked inside to the slot as a nickelback on third downs or when opposing groups went with three-receiver units. Parrish could possibly be in line to do the identical factor because the Bucs need him on the sphere as a lot as attainable due to his expertise.
Nevertheless, Tampa Bay simply spent a fourth-round choose on Keionte Scott, who starred as a nickelback at Miami, and the Bucs additionally need him on the sphere. Parrish simply turned 22, whereas Scott turns 25 in August, and he involves Tampa Bay with quite a lot of taking part in expertise in school at each Auburn and Miami. Due to that, he’s professional prepared and will be capable to compete and produce as a rookie. Cornerbacks coach Rashad Johnson has performed an impressive job of getting three totally different rookies – Christian Izien, Tykee Smith and Parrish – prepared to start out as rookies within the slot. Scott would be the subsequent one.
Historical past exhibits there will probably be accidents within the secondary. The Bucs have been unable to have their beginning cornerbacks begin all 17 video games for years now resulting from accidents. If I needed to guess, McCollum and Parrish win the skin roles, and we’ll see Scott begin at nickelback. Morrison will rotate in with Parrish – and even perhaps McCollum – on the skin. Bowles may also create totally different matchups within the slot by going with both Parrish or Scott and even utilizing the 6-foot-2 McCollum inside to match up towards large slot receivers. Will probably be enjoyable to see how this all performs out in August and all through the season.
QUESTION: How do you see the highest three spots within the WR room taking part in out? Who will get the roles and what precisely does every position seem like for the actual participant?
ANSWER: The Bucs huge receiver room can go one in all two methods with new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson. He can go together with clearly outlined roles for every receiver – X (cut up finish), Z (flanker) and F (slot) – or he can go together with a positionless method and have all of his receivers study a number of positions in order that they’re interchangeable.
That’s what the Rams did in previous years with Professional Bowl huge receivers Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp underneath offensive mastermind Sean McVay. It made it laborious for defensive coordinators to get a bead on the place Nacua and Kupp lined up and that may stymie gameplans as a result of these receivers had been moved across the formation play in and play out.
Bucs WRs Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
I think Robinson will mimic that method to a point in Tampa Bay as a result of he has three equally constructed receivers with comparable skillsets in Emeka Egbuka, Chris Godwin Jr. and Jalen McMillan. All three are round 6-foot-1, 205 kilos and have comparable pace within the 4.5 vary, though Godwin at age 30 together with his historical past of knee and ankle accidents is likely to be a tick slower. Whereas Godwin might be restricted to the slot at this stage of his profession resulting from age (30) and his harm historical past, which has seemingly robbed him of some pace and acceleration, McMillan and Egbuka can play each within the slot and out of doors.
The departure of Mike Evans left a void at he cut up finish place, which is the weakside receiver away from the tight finish or the bunch formation. McMillan would have seemingly performed in that spot had Tampa Bay not drafted a real X receiver in Ted Hurst within the third spherical this 12 months. Now that Hurst can play the X, McMillan can give attention to lining up on the Z or F spots the place he’s higher suited to play.
My guess is that Egbuka – given his expertise, first-round draft standing, age and his productive rookie season – will seemingly be the featured receiver in Tampa Bay this 12 months. He had the second-best coaching camp of anyone on offense – behind solely Evans – final summer season, so his profitable rookie 12 months was not a shock. I consider that Robinson’s passing recreation will run by way of the slot receiver, very like it did underneath Liam Coen in 2024. With Egbuka and Godwin seemingly splitting time there I think these two receivers may obtain the lion’s share of the targets.
Nevertheless, Baker Mayfield has proven the propensity to properly throw to the open receiver. And if Egbuka and/or Godwin is drawing quite a lot of consideration in protection and McMillan is left in one-on-one conditions with lesser cornerbacks, search for McMillan to be featured by default in some video games. I’ve stated it earlier than and it bears repeating. I may see a situation the place the Bucs don’t have a 1,000-yard receiver however as a substitute have three receivers with 800 receiving yards in 2026.
QUESTION: The place do you assume we’ll see essentially the most enchancment with the teaching adjustments?
ANSWER: Hopefully it’s participant improvement. On the coronary heart of the job description, every assistant coach is answerable for growing the expertise in his respective room, and naturally, educating and putting in both the offense or protection. However getting gamers to dwell as much as their potential and unlocking their expertise is paramount for all assistant coaches.
Bucs assistant DBs coach Rashad Johnson and CB Josh Hayes – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
In order that’s what these new assistant coaches should do. It’s not a lot about collaborating on offense with offensive coordinator Zac Robinson or collaborating on protection with head coach and defensive play-caller Todd Bowles. Each know what they’re doing. Robinson is likely to be just a little extra open to collaboration than Bowles, however I might be simply high quality if new cornerbacks coach Rashad Johnson, new safeties coach Tim Atkins and new line of defense coach Marcus West simply centered on getting their gamers to develop and carry out higher in 2026.
I not too long ago did an SR’s FAB 5 column on why I feel Johnson could also be an important place coach this 12 months. There’s rather a lot driving on a room the place fifth-year veteran Zyon McCollum is all of a sudden the elder statesman of the cornerback room following Jamel Dean’s departure in free company. Not solely does Johnson need to revive McCollum’s profession after a disappointing down 12 months in 2025, however he additionally must proceed to develop final 12 months’s Day 2 picks, Jacob Parrish and Benjamin Morrison and assist forestall them from having a sophomore stoop.
Throw in the truth that Johnson additionally has to get fourth-round choose Keionte Scott able to play and maybe begin as a rookie at nickelback, and it’s straightforward to see why a lot is driving on him as a first-year place coach. The cornerback room has the potential of being a crew weak point or even perhaps a sneaky crew energy if all 4 of these gamers dwell as much as their athletic potential this season. There’s a ton of variance within the Bucs cornerback room.
QUESTION: Scott, what do you consider the plan for the bye week? Todd Bowles gave them per week off final 12 months they usually had been horrible after that. What do you assume they’ll do that 12 months?
ANSWER: I’m unsure. It’s going to seemingly depend upon the well being of the crew and the way effectively the Bucs are taking part in – or aren’t taking part in – on the time. In hindsight, Todd Bowles might have performed one thing totally different after final 12 months’s bye week. Tampa Bay had a 6-2 document, and the protection got here off its finest recreation of the season in a 23-3 win at New Orleans, though the offense was fairly sluggish towards the Saints.
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and Bucs head coach Todd Bowles – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
The Bucs had been extremely banged up heading into the bye, and Bowles gave the crew all the week off as a substitute of holding a few practices, as he was allowed to do. Did that mess with the main target of the crew? It’s laborious to say. The Bucs misplaced a hard-fought recreation the subsequent week to the Patriots, who had been 8-2 on the time and undefeated on the street, 28-23 at residence. It wasn’t like Tampa Bay received crushed in that recreation. The rating was 7-7 after the primary quarter, and the Bucs trailed 14-10 at halftime after a last-second landing on the final play of the primary half.
This 12 months the Bucs play the Lions in Detroit the week after the bye. The attention-grabbing factor is that the Lions will probably be touring again from England after taking part in the Patriots abroad. Will Detroit be going through some jet lag after what ought to be a tricky street contest? We’ll see.
The issue is that Bowles is 0-4 in video games after the bye week and Tampa Bay is simply 2-10 within the first three video games after the bye in his four-year tenure as head coach of the Bucs. So, he must do one thing totally different or determine a strategy to have his crew hitting on all cylinders after the bye.
