Todd Bowles Again Endorses Jacob Parrish As Outside Cornerback
September 26th, 2025
On May 9, head coach Todd Bowles made a bold proclamation.
After only a few hours of rookie minicamp practices, the renowned defensive backs guru said Bucs rookie third-round pick Jacob Parrish “can start at [outside] corner in this league probably for anybody, and he can play inside as well.”
And while Parrish currently is the Buccaneers’ nickel cornerback playing roughly three-fourths of the defensive snaps, Bowles can’t stop thinking/dreaming/fantasizing of the young speedster playing outside, which would mean a full-time role.
“He’s fast from A to B, he understands it. He knows when to hit the gaps,” Bowles said of Parrish, who recorded his first sack on Sunday. “ I thought he did a heck of a job going through [gaps] several times. He got some hits on him but didn’t cause the sack. Actually it was him that hurried up the interception that [Jamel] Dean got. He got the hurry up on the quarterback right there. But for him to get his first sack was great to see.
“I’m still excited about him, you know, as good as he is at nickel, I really think he’s very good on the outside as well. We just haven’t had the chance to give him the opportunity to get out there yet because of the other three are playing well. But I think he’s right there with that bunch.”
Bowles’ comments came on the Buccaneers Radio Network.
Joe doesn’t expect Parrish to stay at nickel. Why? Because always changes his nickel corner. Bowles even had Antoine Winfield there in 2022 and wasn’t satisfied.
Parrish is proving to be a playmaker and someone Bowles doesn’t want to take off the field. It likely will be very hard for Bowles to not replace Jamel Dean with Parrish if/when Dean gets his annual injury, or when Dean moves on next year.
September 26th, 2025 at 8:22 am
So excited about our young Bucs in the secondary. Hats off to Todd and Jason and the rest of the krew in charge of drafting, it looks like through 3 weeks of this season you have pulled off another heist in the draft.
September 26th, 2025 at 8:22 am
Parrish reminds me a bit of Ronde. He might be a hair quicker, and about the same build. He’s not afraid to lay the wood!
September 26th, 2025 at 8:32 am
great player and even better person!!!
4-0!!!
GO BUCS!!!
September 26th, 2025 at 8:49 am
He will replace Dean next year but what to do with Morrison?
September 26th, 2025 at 8:52 am
Joe…. playing nickel doesn’t prevent him from playing outside CB when they aren’t in nickel. Do you remember that Ronde Barber guy? He was out starting NB and CB… he never came off the field. More recently, Sean Murphy-Bunting was our nickel back AND starting corner. Him starting at nickel has nothing to do with him HAVING to come off the field. Winfield didn’t in 2022.
September 26th, 2025 at 8:54 am
I think TB finds a young db he likes and has them do a year at nickel as a development exercise, as opposed to constantly changing because he isn’t finding one he likes
September 26th, 2025 at 8:59 am
JimBobBuc Says:
September 26th, 2025 at 8:49 am
He will replace Dean next year but what to do with Morrison
They can do what they did with Ronde, move Parrish to the slot and bring in Morrison as they did with Brian Kelly to Olay outside. Ronde was nails in that situation?
September 26th, 2025 at 9:12 am
they should put him on AJ Brown Sunday. Dean will get killed out there. Parrish has been playing awesome!!
September 26th, 2025 at 9:22 am
What a draft!!!
Parish plays like he’s been in the league 5 years
September 26th, 2025 at 9:37 am
“Joe doesn’t expect Parrish to stay at nickel. Why? Because always changes his nickel corner. Bowles even had Antoine Winfield there in 2022 and wasn’t satisfied”
That was 3 seasons ago and the roster looked totally different, Tykee played NB too and got sent to safety after drafting Parrish to be our Nickel back. Sure in theory he could play outside, but we moved Antoine & Zyon to NB because we had nobody else to play there. 1-yr later Winfield was back at S doing all-pro levels of work. Zyon just got signed outside CB money.
We don’t NEED Parrish outside, as Bowles in the same quote talks about Parrish making a play that resulted in a bigger play from the nickel position. Kids been dynamite in the slot.
September 26th, 2025 at 9:56 am
eagles have great slot, we should too. leave him alone let him master it.
September 26th, 2025 at 10:01 am
Joe, with Morrison getting up to speed ( and with Bowles stated adoration for his abilities during camp), and with the reduction in Dean’s pay, do you think JL would trade Dean before the deadline to get an additional draft pick, or do you think that savings was just applied to Zyon’s new deal, and let Dean walk without a draft pick at the end of the year? Would JL use that additional draft pick to pick up another corner for depth next year?
It doesn’t seem likely JL would trade Dean though.
September 26th, 2025 at 10:04 am
It all depends on how the rest of the season goes..Right?
September 26th, 2025 at 10:07 am
kid is a bullet, great pick!
September 26th, 2025 at 10:46 am
Hmm… looks like Bowles is quietly assembling something I’ve rarely seen—a war chest of defensive weapons built on pure versatility. Safeties who can lock the slot. Corners who shift inside or outside. Interchangeable parts, no weak links.
That kind of design erases pre-snap reads, kills mismatch football, and leaves offenses in constant uncertainty. And don’t be fooled—Bowles still has cards up his sleeve.
September 26th, 2025 at 10:47 am
Our secondary is so good at getting to the QB. Licht needs to forget about OLB and just draft Safeties to rush the QB.
September 26th, 2025 at 10:56 am
Test
September 26th, 2025 at 11:11 am
I am a big fan of Parrish, and have been since he was drafted. What the Bucs’ secondary did throughout that Jets game reminded me of the swarm Dungy coached that led to our first SB. His DBs were incredible. They would bring down opposing players much bigger and stronger than they were. Ronde is one of them. So was John Lynch. This secondary is starting to resemble that same bunch. I hope Izien can get healed, and join them soon.
September 26th, 2025 at 12:17 pm
Hey Joe🎶, what’s the skinny on EE2 and CG14 playing Sunday? Also, who will be starting in the defensive secondary? I’ll be listening to Bucs Radio. Go Tampa Bay!!
September 26th, 2025 at 12:24 pm
Maybe we can play him at ILB on passing downs…
September 26th, 2025 at 12:57 pm
Maybe we should replace SVD with the best tackling DB on passing downs because everyone in the stadium knows Philly wants to get Saquon in one on one situations against him. I hope we have an answer. IJS
September 26th, 2025 at 1:16 pm
“Hmm… looks like Bowles is quietly assembling something I’ve rarely seen—a war chest of defensive weapons built on pure versatility”
I think we can finally say we’ve adequately replaced Davis, SMB, and the combo of Edwards-Whithead.
McCollum for Davis.
Parrish for SMB.
Tykee at Safety.
And we have guys like Izien, Morrison, Vildor, Merriweather, & Wisdom as depth guys who contribute on special teams. Can never have too many serviceable DBs, that’s for certain.
September 26th, 2025 at 2:23 pm
It’s a long season. The Bucs depth at many positions will help steady the ship as December approaches. One game at a time. Bring on the Eagles!!
September 26th, 2025 at 2:43 pm
NCbucfan Says:
September 26th, 2025 at 8:22 am
Parrish reminds me a bit of Ronde. He might be a hair quicker, and about the same build. He’s not afraid to lay the wood!
Parrish reminds me of Rhonde as well. But I think he is ahead of where Rhonde was in his rookie year.
September 26th, 2025 at 2:45 pm
Parrish is a bullet.
Corners and safeties are playing well…. As @WLB said, we’ve upgraded our talent adequately and it’s much harder to find weak links in our secondary now.
Todd’s doing a helluva a job coaching the D. Defense is more aggressive (more man coverage tho it’s not being mentioned much by the people who screamed for it for over a year) and they are holding up their end.
Defense (and offense) have much room for improvement AND they will as the squads continue to gel and work out the kinks.
Great job by FO identifying and drafting impact players and coaches for getting them ready to contribute.