Buccaneers To Make CB Addition

“We definitely need another cornerback,” head coach Todd Bowles said on Monday (via ESPN’s Jenna Laine) when speaking to the media at the league meeting. “Whether it’s a veteran or whether it’s a draftable pick remains to be seen and we’ll kind of go from there. But we like to add one or two to the mix.”

Vildor was a depth presence on defense and special teams, but losing Dean deprived the Buccaneers of someone who served as a starter for much of his seven-year tenure with the team. Tampa Bay has Zyon McCollum in position to remain a core presence at the CB spot moving forward. He inked a $16MM-per-year deal last offseason.

The Bucs also invested second- and third-round picks during last year’s draft in Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish. Those two combined to make eight starts as rookies, and it would come as no surprise if their workloads increased in 2026 and beyond. Adding depth through the secondary waves of free agency and/or the draft represents a logical goal, though.

Antoine Winfield Jr. and Tykee Smith are set to remain starters at the safety position. After the Buccaneers ranked just 27th against the pass in 2025, though, there is certainly room for improvement in the secondary. It will be interesting to see how the team approaches the matter of bringing in one or more corners as the rest of the offseason progresses.

Tampa Bay currently has roughly $14MM in cap space, so a modest move on the free agent market or via trade could be feasible. The team also has one pick in every round of next month’s draft, including No. 15 overall. Bowles and Co. will have plenty of opportunities to make an addition or two over the coming weeks.