The Bucs have come up with six interceptions through two preseason games, including this one by cornerback Tyrek Funderburk (24) against Tennessee at at Raymond James Stadium. Tampa Bay had seven picks in all of 2024.
The Bucs have come up with six interceptions through two preseason games, including this one by cornerback Tyrek Funderburk (24) against Tennessee at at Raymond James Stadium. Tampa Bay had seven picks in all of 2024. [ JEFFEREE WOO | Times ]
TAMPA — Excellent draft. That’s what they tell us, anyway.
Good offseason, too. Plugged some holes, retained some key players.
All in all, things have gone well for the Bucs since their last meaningful game at Raymond James Stadium.
And none of it will matter if they haven’t fixed what snuffed out last season.
You remember it, right? One of the best dang offenses we’ve ever seen in Tampa Bay. Great placekicker. Decent defense most of the time. This was a team that could have made some noise in the postseason if not for one teensy, little problem.
The last-minute fold.
At first, it seemed an oddity. In one six-week stretch at mid-season, the Bucs lost three times on the final play of a game.
So, by the time the Commanders casually ate up the final five minutes on the clock while driving 55 yards for a game-winning field goal as time expired in the first round of the playoffs, defensive collapses had become the story of the season.
And, it would seem, the key to the 2025 season.
That’s why it was no small matter when head coach Todd Bowles recently talked about how well the Bucs finished off the first two games of the preseason. He went so far as to mention a killer instinct, even if the preseason is mostly a summer camp for kids who won’t be around in the fall.
And what is Bowles’ definition of a killer instinct?
“Defensively, it means getting off the field,” Bowles said. “Offensively, it means controlling the ball going down and either leaving very little on the clock or scoring the game winner. We (need) to have more of that mindset. We got a key first down to hold the ball last week and, defensively, they got off the field and got a turnover late in the game to make that happen. So, we (need) to keep doing those type of things.”
![Bucs cornerback Zyon McCollum intercepts a pass from Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph intended for wide receiver Roman Wilson during the first half of Saturday's preseason game in Pittsburgh.](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 620 413"/%3E)
Bucs cornerback Zyon McCollum intercepts a pass from Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph intended for wide receiver Roman Wilson during the first half of Saturday's preseason game in Pittsburgh.
And why didn’t the Bucs have that mindset in 2024?
“It’s always execution,” Bowles said. “The mindset is there, but if you don’t execute, it doesn’t matter.
“It’s always an execution thing.”
The Bucs are also hoping it was an injury thing. The defense was banged up for much of the season with Antoine Winfield Jr., Jordan Whitehead, Jamel Dean, Calijah Kancey, SirVocea Dennis and Christian Izien all missing significant playing time.
The secondary took much of the abuse with Winfield falling off dramatically after a breakout 2023 season and Whitehead falling far short of an upgrade at safety. But the Bucs were particularly vulnerable in the middle of the field where Lavonte David had the worst pass coverage season of his career, according to Pro Football Focus, and Dennis missed nearly the entire season with a shoulder injury.
And, just to spread the blame around, the pass rush was not particularly fearsome in clutch situations.
Add all that up, and you can see how Atlanta drove 46 yards in the final 1:14 for a game-tying field goal before winning the game in overtime. Or how the Chiefs kept the ball out of Baker Mayfield’s hands by marching 65 yards in 10 plays on the first drive of overtime for a game-winning touchdown. Or how the 49ers went 39 yards in 41 seconds for a game-winning field goal as the clock reached 0:00.
Given those circumstances, it might have seemed odd that Tampa Bay went after receiver Emeka Egbuka with their first pick in the draft in April. But the idea was that the defense would naturally be improved with Winfield and Dennis back to full health, along with drafting cornerbacks Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish in the second and third rounds. Also, the Bucs made their biggest free agent splash by signing edge rusher Haason Reddick.
Essentially, the Bucs are counting on all three levels of the defense seeing improvement in 2025.
There’s also the hope that the Bucs can get a little more separation on the scoreboard so they don’t put themselves in a position of having to protect a small lead in the final minutes. The 22.6 points allowed by the defense in 2024 is the most the Bucs have ever surrendered in a playoff season.
And that has led to a greater emphasis on creating turnovers and splash plays.
“That’s exactly what Bowles was harping on during (organized team activities),” cornerback Zyon McCollum said. “I feel like the past couple of seasons we’ve talked about it a lot and (have) come up a little bit short. But to see that we’re now capitalizing on that, everyone is taking it very seriously and we’re going out and executing.”
It’s looking good so far in training camp and preseason games.
But, as usual, we won’t know for sure until the last minute.
Up next
PRESEASON FINALE
vs. Bills, 7:30 Saturday, Raymond James Stadium TV/radio: WFLA-Ch. 8; 97.9-FM
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