The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be breaking in a new full-time starter on the outside at cornerback this season, as the trade that sent Carlton Davis III to the Detroit Lions opened up the spot opposite Jamel Dean heading into 2024.
Dean is still among the league’s better outside corners when healthy, but the rest of the unit is fairly unproven. Zyon McCollum and Christian Izien are both young players who have shown flashes of promise, but still need to prove they can be consistent performers in the starting lineup. New additions like Tavierre Thomas and Bryce Hall bolstered the overall depth of the group in free agency, but it remains to be seen how reliable this crew will be for Todd Bowles.
How do Tampa Bay’s corners stack up to the rest of the league?
Here’s a look at where they landed in the cornerback rankings of ESPN’s Mike Clay, who recently compiled this list:
Deonte Banks, Cor’Dale Flott, Nick McCloud, Tre Hawkins III, Andru Phillips
Sean Murphy-Bunting, Max Melton, Garrett Williams, Starling Thomas, Elijah Jones
Benjamin St-Juste, Emmanuel Forbes, Jartavius Martin, Mike Sainristil, Michael Davis
Nate Hobbs, Jack Jones, Jakorian Bennett, Brandon Facyson, Decamerion Richardson
A.J. Terrell, Clark Phillips III, Mike Hughes, Antonio Hamilton, Dee Alford
Joey Porter Jr., Donte Jackson, Josiah Scott, Darius Rush, Ryan Watts
Asante Samuel Jr., Kristian Fulton, Ja’Sir Taylor, Deane Leonard, Tarheeb Still
Byron Murphy, Shaquill Griffin, Mekhi Blackmon, Akayleb Evans, Andrew Booth Jr.
Jaycee Horn, Dane Jackson, Troy Hill, Dicaprio Bootle, D’Shawn Jamison
Tyson Campbell, Ronald Darby, Jarrian Jones, Montaric Brown, Antonio Johnson
Cam Taylor-Britt, D.J. Turner, Mike Hilton, Daxton Hill, Jalen Davis
Jamel Dean, Zyon McCollum, Tavierre Thomas, Christian Izien, Bryce Hall
Kenny Moore II, Julius Brents, Dallis Flowers, Jaylon Jones, Darrell Baker Jr.
Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, Joshua Williams, Nic Jones, Ekow Boye-Doe
Derek Stingley Jr., Desmond King, Kamari Lassiter, Myles Bryant, Jeff Okudah
Darious Williams, Tre’Davious White, Quentin Lake, Decobie Durant, Derion Kendrick
Patrick Surtain II, Levi Wallace, Ja’Quan McMillian, Damarri Mathis, Riley Moss
Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones, Marcus Jones, Alex Austin, Shaun Wade
Marlon Humphrey, Brandon Stephens, Arthur Maulet, Nate Wiggins, T.J. Tampa
Jaire Alexander, Eric Stokes, Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine, Corey Ballentine
Charvarius Ward, Deommodore Lenoir, Ambry Thomas, Renardo Green, Isaac Yiadom
Devon Witherspoon, Tariq Woolen, Michael Jackson, Tre Brown, Artie Burns
Darius Slay, James Bradberry, Avonte Maddox, Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean
Rasul Douglas, Christian Benford, Taron Johnson, Kaiir Elam, Daequan Hardy
Marshon Lattimore, Paulson Adebo, Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alontae Taylor, Ugochukwu Amadi
Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, Tyrique Stevenson, Terell Smith, Greg Stroman
Carlton Davis, Terrion Arnold, Brian Branch, Emmanuel Moseley, Ennis Rakestraw Jr
L’Jarius Sneed, Roger McCreary, Chidobe Awuzie, Tre Avery, Eric Garror
Trevon Diggs, DaRon Bland, Jourdan Lewis, Nahshon Wright, C.J. Goodwin
Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome II, Martin Emerson, Cameron Mitchell, Kahlef Hailassie
Jalen Ramsey, Kendall Fuller, Kader Kohou, Nik Needham, Cam Smith
Sauce Gardner, D.J. Reed, Michael Carter II, Isaiah Oliver, Brandin Echols