Job appears safe.
Bucs starting corner Zyon McCollum hasn’t been benched. And his status as a starting corner, despite an awful season last year, is not in jeopardy.
That’s the word from Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, who was prowling around One Buc Palace last week and was talking to all sorts of folks, including Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht and KitKat-eating Bucs coach Todd Bowles.
In filing notes to the four-letter’s website, almost buried in Fowler’s copy is McCollum’s status as a starter is rock solid. The best corner on the roster, Jacob Parrish, is not guaranteed a starting gig, per Fowler.
In the secondary, coach Todd Bowles has no reservations playing second-year corner Jacob Parrish on the outside this season despite his 5-foot-10 frame. Benjamin Morrison was banged up but has returned. Parrish playing outside frees up fourth-round rookie Keionte Scott to play the slot. Damarion Williams is getting some run at the outside corner spot, too. Regardless, the spot opposite Zyon McCollum must be earned in camp.
If Jacob Parrish is not starting at outside corner, the Bucs are going to get roasted trying to stop Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins in Week 1, Joe believes.
Sure, Joe gets it. If some guy no one expected in camp blows up, you want him on the field. Joe hasn’t seen such a player in practice. Yet.
Parrish easily is the best returning Bucs corner, even if he did mostly play nickel last season.
Now if you want to say Parrish is better off at nickel, Joe won’t argue. But Joe doesn’t believe the Bucs have the luxury of keeping their best corner at nickel.
Maybe Joe is drinking too much Kool-Aid at practices, but if healthy, this team might be better than it was last year. Except at corner. Even if Parrish does well, and Joe expects him to be just fine, corner is paper-thin right now for the Bucs.
So why, you ask, is McCollum already locked in as a starter? Well, Joe will give you 16 million reasons.