The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are showing off a huge advantage during training camp that any NFL team would love to have

The game of football is always changing and evolving. Over the last 10-15 years, one of the biggest changes is the use of a fifth defensive back, or nickelback.

For a lot of teams, nickelbacks are considered starters. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are one of said teams, as it's a crucial position in Todd Bowles' defense. It's not just Bowles' defense, either - it's a crucial job in just about any NFL defense.

The Bucs had Tykee Smith fill the role last year and he did a pretty good job, but Bowles and Co. think he's better suited at safety, so that's where they're planning on playing him the majority of the time. The move left the Bucs' nickel spot open, but they knew they had plenty of options to fill the role.

And they're certainly cycling through said options more than a week into training camp. The Bucs secondary is a versatile one and Bowles knows he has an abundance of riches at nickelback, which is a big advantage in today's NFL.

"[Jacob] Parrish, is there. 'Izzy' [Christian Izien] is there. Tykee [Smith] is there. J.J. [Roberts] is there. Zyon [McCollum] is taking reps there [and] [Antoine] Winfield's taking reps there," Bowles said as the smile on his face became more apparent the more names he mentioned. "We have a bunch of guys that know how to play nickel and learn how to play nickel. It gives us options, going into game-in and game-out, of things we want to do.

"So right now, everybody's doing a very good job right now of where they're supposed to be. We'll look at the preseason games, and we'll see what combination matches up best for us. But Parrish has been taking a lot of reps. Tykee takes some the reps. 'Izzy' takes reps. J.J. takes reps. 'Win' takes reps. There's a smorgasbord, right now."

https://www.youtube.com/live/ELYxaxWhiWg?si=lUwHWEYhxo-zyI-9

The fact the Bucs have so many effective options at nickel is a big win for Bowles and Co. It's an important position in both the pass and run game and if the there's a mismatch with the fifth defensive back, you better believe an opposing offense is going to figure it out and exploit it. Any NFL defense would love to have the options Tampa Bay has.

And going back to last year, it helps safeguard the Bucs in case another slew of injuries hit the secondary. They had to scramble to piece things together this year and this can help avoid that situation if the same issue crops up again.

In all, it's a very good spot to be in and Bowles should be able to utilize it to the max in 2025.