The Bucs have a few options to fill its biggest defensive need heading into the season.
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The Bucs made a lot of moves to address their various roster issues this offseason, but one glaring hole remains: slot corner. Despite possessing a better-than-advertised corner duo in Carlton Davis and Jamel Dean, Tampa does not have a clear notion of who will play the nickel position in the secondary.
Neither Davis or Dean have much experience at nickel. According to Pro Football Focus, plays in the slot account for less than 10% of their overall snaps on defense over their NFL careers. This is unlikely to change given their skill sets as long press corners.
Last year, the Bucs experimented with playing Antoine Winfield Jr. at nickel, giving him 445 snaps in the slot per PFF, most on the team. He was capable in the slot, but his play did not quite match the excellence he provided at free safety the previous two seasons.
While Todd Bowles has indicated he would prefer to keep Winfield Jr. at just one position, there has yet to be any indication what position that is. Winfield Jr. is Tampa’s only real option to start at free safety so the odds are better that Bowles keeps him there instead.
Tampa has few reliable options otherwise. Dee Delaney has the most experience in the slot, but still primarily played outside corner. Same goes for second-year CB Zyon McCollum, who struggled in coverage overall last season.
The dark horse on the roster is rookie Josh Hayes. The 2023 sixth-round pick primarily played the nickel for Kansas State last year. Naturally, playing a rookie at such a key position is a risky proposition, particularly when he allowed a 109.9 passer rating from the slot last year per PFF.
The Bucs’ last option is to add a veteran free agent defensive back likely before training camp. The simplest solution would be to bring back Logan Ryan, who has experience playing in the slot and free safety, giving Bowles maximum flexibility with how to address both positions and use Antoine Winfield Jr.
Other options include former Saints CB P.J. Williams, former Browns S John Johnson and former Chargers CB Bryce Callahan. With little cap space left, the Bucs cannot afford to give any free agent a big payday, but that holds true for most teams at this point of the offseason. Many current free agents will have to settle for a veteran minimum deal, which would be about all the Bucs will be able to afford anyway.
