_“Jamel, you’ve got 3 picks in 5 1/2 games. Just think about all that money you’ll earn next year.”_
All Bucs cornerbacks were healthy last night for a change, along with starting safeties Antoine Winfield and Tykee Smith, fulfilling the offseason dream of Todd Bowles and Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht.
That was the focus of March and April; make sure the Bucs never again have to use Josh Hayes are stuck using low-talent quarterbacks.
The Bucs drafted two cornerbacks and signed veteran Kindle Vildor and added Bryce Hall to their practice squad. Hall was the No. 3 cornerback entering 2024 and trashed his ankle in Week 1.
Last night, Bowles seemed to find a nice rotation for Jamel Dean and rookie Benjamin Morrison (22 snaps), something that had started when both were healthy earlier in the season.
Joe hopes the Bucs would consider making Zyon McCollum earn more of his snaps. Competition seems to have done wonders for Dean. McCollum has underwhelmed after getting a fat new contract extension.
Bowles will need to find just the right touch going forward — getting Morrison experience while not overly exposing him. The rookie is talented and very active but learned a couple of hard lessons last night.
It’s easy to forget the Bucs secondary is still rather young. The unit should be significantly better in a couple of months if everyone can stay on the field.