Is the Buccaneers' secondary depth better than last year? 

After injuries decimated the position group last year, the Buccaneers flooded the secondary with talent, both through agency and the draft. Tampa Bay had nine different starters in the secondary last year, with all four of their Day 1 starters missing time. 

Those injuries forced players like Tyreek Funderburk, Josh Hayes and Mike Edwards into starting roles, and the results weren’t always pretty. Looking to avoid throwing inexperienced and past their prime players into action, the Bucs started the process of reinforcing their secondary early in free agency. 

How strong is the Buccaneers' depth in the secondary?

Cornerback Kindle Vildor was the first to sign with the team, and days later, Bryce Hall re-signed. Vildor had an excellent preseason in camp, recording several interceptions. The physicality he’s known for was on display, and his versatility to play both corner spots and special teams earned him a spot on the roster. 

Hall entered last season as the Buccaneers' third cornerback and suffered the same injury Chris Godwin did in week one, knocking him out for the season. He was one of the feel-good stories of camp as he made his return and had a solid showing throughout camp and the preseason. However, the Buccaneers elected to keep other cornerbacks ahead of him on the active roster, although they re-signed him to the practice squad. 

To add youth to the position, the Bucs spent back-to-back picks in the draft on cornerbacks Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish in the second and third rounds. Parrish quickly cemented himself as a versatile playmaker, recording several interceptions in practice, and has won the starting nickel corner job out of camp.

Morrison, who likely would’ve been a first-round pick if not for injury concerns, took part in OTAS and mini camp, but was injured early on in training camp. His injury sidelined him through all the preseason games, and it is unknown if he’ll be ready to go for Week 1. However, when he does return, he has a talent and skill to potentially challenge Jamel Dean for the starting spot should he struggle. 

Zyon McCollum is poised for a breakout year in the final year of his deal, but he needs to prove that he can become more of a playmaker in the secondary to earn the payday he’s looking for.

One of the biggest talking points of the off-season was the transition nickel corner Tykee Smith would make to safety. There were certainly some ups and downs early on, but the playmaker has settled in nicely to the position alongside Antoine Winfield Jr. The All-Pro safety looks to be back to form after an injury-plagued 2024, and behind them is the versatile Christian Izien, who can play both safety spots and nickel as well as outside in a pinch. 

The Bucs were dealt an unfortunate blow in training camp when undrafted rookie J.J. Roberts suffered a lower-body injury that will knock him out for the season. Roberts was expected to make the team and showed off his versatility at safety, nickel, and outside corner and would’ve likely challenged Kaevon Merriweather for the fourth safety spot. The team likes Merriweather, who has seven starts for the Buccaneers over the last two seasons, and he really improved down the stretch last year. 

With Roberts out for the season and Izien banged up to start the year, the Buccaneers elected to keep five safeties, with second-year defensive back Rashad Wisdom rounding out the room. Wisdom was on the practice squad all last season and was cross-trained at both safety spots. He increased his value and took his game to another level when he also learned and performed well at nickel in preseason action. 

Surprisingly, Tampa Bay kept just two defensive backs on its practice squad — the aforementioned Hall, and outside pick-up Jack Henderson at safety. Henderson was released by the Panthers after final cutdowns. The undrafted rookie had a strong preseason showing and offers versatility at safety and nickel.

The Buccaneers certainly made a concentrated effort to add to the secondary with experience and young talent this offseason. Heading into their season, they look to be in a good position, not just with their starters, but with the depth they have acquired and added to the roster. If the Bucs are truly going to make a run towards the Super Bowl, health in the secondary will be paramount. However, unlike last year, they did a much better job of adding depth they feel they can count on should injuries once again rear their ugly head in the Buccaneers' secondary.