Zyon McCollum Enters 2026 Needing A Big Rebound Season

But 2025 was not a good year for McCollum, and had he not signed an extension ahead of the year, it would’ve been interesting to see what his value would’ve been like on the open market. He might not have fetched that three-year, $48 million deal with $35.4 million guaranteed.

McCollum missed four games in 2025. That wasn’t necessarily a big deal on its own, but when you pair that with subpar play when he was on the field? That’s not great for a player Tampa Bay just signed to an early contract extension.

Over 13 games, McCollum allowed 40 catches on 70 targets (57.1%) for 446 yards (11.2 avg.). The biggest issue was giving up a career-high five touchdowns. The low point came when he was flat-out picked on in a Sunday Night Football loss to the Rams. That night, he gave up six catches on seven targets for 81 yards and two touchdowns. That’s absolutely not what you want to see from your $48 million man and potential CB1.

Not only was McCollum simply not as good of a coverage cornerback, but his ball production dipped, too. It felt like he dropped more interceptions than he caught (he finished with one), plus he had just six passes defensed after totaling 26 between the previous two seasons.

Now, heading into 2026, it’s time for McCollum to bounce back and live up to both his contract and the Bucs’ expectations for him.

Can Zyon McCollum Become A True CB1 For The Bucs?

Beyond just rebounding and playing better in 2026, McCollum should be feeling some pressure to really step up and be the Bucs’ true No. 1 cornerback. Between the contract extension and the fact that it felt like Jamel Dean was on a decline (and couldn’t stay healthy), the thought was that McCollum could be Tampa Bay’s CB1 last year.

That wasn’t to be. McCollum struggled, and for much of the season, Dean experienced a bit of a renaissance. It felt like Mr. “Don’t Make a Scene” was more CB1 than McCollum, but now he’s in Pittsburgh. McCollum has to be that top guy now. It’s sink or swim time.

What does that look like, then? Todd Bowles doesn’t move his cornerbacks around as much as some other defensive play-callers do. He tends to have his corners stick to their respective sides. Years back, Bowles didn’t have Carlton Davis III travel with the opposition’s No. 1 receiver all that often. But when he did, Davis typically made the most of it and paid that faith off.

You’d like to see McCollum give his head coach and coordinator enough confidence to feel like he has that option at his disposal this year. Right now, it doesn’t feel like that’s on the table. How can he get there? What does it take for him to be a true CB1 for the Bucs? Even if it’s not more interceptions, locking down his side of the field and lessening the number of targets he sees while also allowing a lower catch rate and fewer touchdowns? That would go a long way for No. 27.

McCollum has it in him. He has a rare blend of length, speed and athleticism — the kind of blend you dream of when it comes to finding NFL cornerbacks. As Bowles has often said, the key is eye discipline. Improve that, and the sky is the limit. Maybe 2026 is the year it all comes together and clicks. McCollum needs it to be, and so does the Buccaneer defense.

Zyon McCollum Is Officially The Elder Statesman Of The Cornerback Room

McCollum is 27 years old. Under normal circumstances, a 27-year-old would be unlikely to be the elder statesman of a position group in the NFL. Yet for the Bucs’ cornerback room, that’s exactly what McCollum is now that the 29-year-old Jamel Dean is now a Pittsburgh Steeler.

Tampa Bay is exceptionally young and pretty inexperienced at the cornerback position. Among the other Buccaneer corners who are likely to see meaningful playing time on defense, there’s a pair of 22-year-olds in Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish. In terms of depth, there’s 28-year-old Damarion Williams, though his 15 career games and zero starts make him less experienced than those 22-year-olds. There’s a 27-year-old in Josh Hayes, who at least has 47 games and three starts under his belt in the NFL. But you’d have a hard time finding anyone who will argue that he and McCollum are co-leaders of the group.

Elsewhere, there’s 24-year-old rookie Keionte Scott, as well as a 23-year-old rookie in Ayden Garnes. The Bucs did sign a pair of 29-year-old cornerbacks in Chase Lucas and Kemon Hall this offseason, but they have zero career starts between them and aren’t necessarily locks to make the 53-man roster out of training camp.

With all of that said, McCollum will naturally be looked to as the veteran leader of this group. He’s entering Year 5 with Tampa Bay and has 60 games — with 42 starts — to his name, so that makes sense. Yet this is a player who is still figuring some things out in his own right. He has to rebound from a poor 2025 season and step up into the role of a true CB1, and he’ll have to do both while establishing himself as a leader among the other corners.

Talks will persist about the need for the Bucs to add another veteran cornerback at some point during training camp, after final roster cutdowns or even into the season. But for now, McCollum is the guy who will be tasked with leading this group as its oldest and most experienced player. He needs to be up to the task, and knowing his mental makeup, he should be.

Catch Up On Previous Installments Of Bailey Adams’ 26 For ’26 Series

OFFENSE:

Baker Mayfield
Bucky Irving
Kenny Gainwell
Chris Godwin Jr.
Emeka Egbuka
Jalen McMillan
Cade Otton
Tristan Wirfs
Ben Bredeson
Graham Barton
Cody Mauch
Luke Goedeke

DEFENSE:

Yaya Diaby
Rueben Bain Jr.
A’Shawn Robinson
Calijah Kancey
Vita Vea
Alex Anzalone
Josiah Trotter