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Will Zyon McCollum be the 2026 nickel? Todd Bowles weighs in.
After asking Todd Bowles about second-year cornerback Jacob Parrish this week, Joe is confident Parrish will dictate where Parrish will play.
Bowles said he’s eager to further develop Parrish, last year’s third-round draft pick, and see if he’s matured enough and learned enough to bounce from nickel and outside cornerback throughout a game.
> “He’ll definitely do both. He’ll definitely do both,” Bowles said of Parrish. “I think he needs more reps outside. I think he’s just as good as an outside corner as he is an inside corner. But it was so much for him last year to learn inside and outside confidently. I think he’s an outstanding nickel; I really do. But I think if you left him outside, he can be an outstanding corner, then you would have to get another nickel.
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> “So we’re going to rep him and we’re going to rotate him inside and out. And we’ll see how he comes out of it this spring and see how he feels in the summer and kind of go from there.”
Joe specifically asked Bowles if Parrish could have a Rondé Barber-type role, starting at outside corner and playing nickel on most third downs.
“It’s possible,” Bowles said. “It depends on how much he learns. You know, Rondé was a very smart player.”
Bowles praised Parrish’s smarts but wants to see more this offseason. “Hopefully, he can handle both.”
Joe asked Bowles if Zyon McCollum or Benjamin Morrison could move to nickel. Apparently, that’s not in the cards for Morrison, last year’s second-round pick.
“Zyon practices nickel every day. Between him and Parrish, they rotate all the time,” Bowles said. “He can play nickel at any time, so we always get him ready.”