Rookie cornerback Benjamin Morrison has been the subject of much discussion – and the ire of many Bucs fans – these past two weeks. He’s been at the center of two of the longest passing touchdowns Tampa Bay has allowed this year, and he has many openly questioning the team’s decision to rotate him with Jamel Dean in the midst of Dean’s best season of his career.
Funny enough, this is the same player fans were clamoring to be handed the starting job in conjunction with cutting Dean in training camp.
The team made a strong investment in Morrison when they took him in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. In order for that investment to pay off the Bucs have to provide him with opportunities to get acclimated to the NFL. Cornerback is one of – if not the most – volatile positions in the league.
And rookies typically have a steep learning curve.
Any expectation that Morrison was going to be a lockdown player from day one was simply false hope.
Benjamin Morrison’s Play Prior To Week 10
There is a hyper fixation on Benjamin Morrison’s past two weeks of play. Morrison was in man coverage on New England receiver Kyle Williams’ 72-yard house call in Week 10. It was also his primary quarter zone that Buffalo’s Tyrell Shavers snuck into on a second reaction quasi-scramble drill after Morrison attempted to pinch the field as Josh Allen moved to his right in the pocket. Both of those touchdowns are on Morrison, and while one is unlikely to be a situation he finds himself in anytime soon, they are data points.
Bucs Cb Benjamin Morrison And Bills Wr Tyrell Shavers
Bucs CB Benjamin Morrison and Bills WR Tyrell Shavers – Photo by: USA Today
But let’s remember this isn’t Morrison’s first action of the season. Prior to these past two games he was playing solid ball. Good ball even, considering his status as a rookie.
Per Pro Football Focus, Morrison had been targeted 18 times through Week 9, allowing just nine catches for 129 yards and one touchdown. His 50% catch rate allowed was second-best among a group of 13 rookie corners with at least 100 coverage snaps this year. His 17% forced incompletion rate was third best. He also ranked sixth in passer rating allowed, tied for ninth with fellow Bucs rookie Jacob Parrish in snaps per target and fourth best in snaps per reception.
Does anyone remember his performance against the Eagles? Four targets. One catch and nine yards allowed.
He also had a fantastic pass breakup against A.J. Brown.
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— Josh Queipo (@JoshQueipo_NFL) November 20, 2025
All of this is to say that recency bias is clouding far too many judgements around the rookie cornerback. If his performances versus the Patriots and Bills hadn’t been back-to-back but more spread out among his larger body of work, the calls for him being taken off the field wouldn’t be loud – and possibly not at all.
Benjamin Morrison’s Play Style And Volatility
For several years there has been a call for Todd Bowles to run more man coverage and for his defensive backs to make more plays on the ball. This year Bowles is playing more man coverage. And his team has more interceptions – 10 so far – as a result. The increase in turnovers stems from a more aggressive style of play. Defenders are taking more chances in hopes that they can create huge swings with negatives for the opposing offense. In many ways this is working.
Bucs Cb Benjamin Morrison And Patriots Wr Kyle Morrison
Bucs CB Benjamin Morrison and Patriots WR Kyle Morrison – Photo by: USA Today
The Bucs are near the top of the NFL in negatives created (tackles for loss, interceptions, forced fumbles, sacks). They are tied for third in interceptions (10) and sixth in turnovers (16). This is in many ways the defense many had hoped for over the past three seasons. But with high reward often comes high risk.
That was certainly the case for Morrison on the Williams touchdown. He tried to undercut the throw on the shallow cross and got beat by a perfect pass. But in undercutting the throw he lost leverage to make a tackle post-catch. High reward if he got in the throwing lane. The high risk came to fruition, unfortunately.
Morrison is a man-coverage cornerback. That was his calling card coming out of Notre Dame. His man reps have largely been solid, but by far not perfect. He is susceptible to falling out of phase on a double stem, like a banana route or an out-and-up. My biggest concern with him coming out of college was defending immediate in-breakers – specifically slant routes. And his long speed doesn’t stay with the faster receivers in the NFL, like former Saints weapon Rashid Shaheed, who is now with the Seahawks.
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— Josh Queipo (@JoshQueipo_NFL) November 20, 2025
None of these issues are new or have become some outlandish problem from these last two games that he is unplayable. He’s just a volatile player. These are the downs. Expect more ups as Morrison gains experience.
Remember, Morrison missed four weeks of training camp due to a hamstring injury, including all three preseason games. That has certainly stunted his growth, and any mistakes he’s making on the fly are costly – unlike in camp or the preseason when they truly don’t count.
The Scouting Report Remains The Same
Benjamin Morrison certainly has his share of things he needs to work on. His tackling has been suspect at times and he takes chances a bit too much for a rookie still getting his feet wet. He can get caught guessing what route a receiver is going to run, and when he guesses wrong it can look bad. Mack Hollins had him in hell on a deep dig two weeks ago.
But none of these issues are re-occurring so much that they are “let’s take full advantage of this hole in his game” for offenses. They are going to target him, but not in a specific way that is repeatable and that he can’t adjust to.
Here’s the kicker. He hasn’t even been the worst cornerback on the field on a down-to-down basis. That mantle belongs to Zyon McCollum, who got rewarded with a three-year, $48 million contract extension that feels premature right now. Morrison is going to still make mistakes, just as fellow rookie Jacob Parrish has this season. Parrish has just had the benefit of spreading his out better, in addition to being healthy for training camp and the preseason.
Bucs Lb Lavonte David And Cb Benjamin Morrison
Bucs LB Lavonte David and CB Benjamin Morrison – Photo by: USA Today
The positives have not gone away, either. Morrison still contests catches well. He is still physical at the line of scrimmage and can knock receivers off the timing of their routes. He’s a smart player.
Everything that made Morrison a second-round pick is still there.
He can still close space and make outside throws difficult. He can still click and close with conviction to disrupt passes. And his man coverage skills put more on the menu for Todd Bowles to call. If Jamel Dean can’t go on Sunday in Los Angeles and the Bucs elect to pull Morrison off the field in nickel personnel, they are reducing their options to combat a creative Rams offense.
But Morrison is just as likely to have an Eagles game this week as he is a Bills game. And the more the Bucs play him the more likely that ratio will tip to the positive side as he continues to gain more experience through playing time.