Will Jacob Parrish Regularly Play Outside Corner & Nickel?
February 27th, 2026
Older Bucs fans remember that Rondé Barber played outside cornerback and shifted to inside nickel cornerback often. Simply put, Barber didn’t come off the field.
Speaking at the NFL Scouting Combine this week, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles sounded like a man prepared to utilize second-year cornerback Jacob Parrish the same way.
Bowles said Parrish and fellow second-year cornerback Benjamin Morrison will compete at outside cornerback this offseason but Parrish will not relinquish the nickel role he thrived in last season.
“They’ll both play outside,” Bowles said. “They’ll definitely battle oustide in the spring and the summer and we think we got two good ones there, and Parrish will definitely go back in the nickel as well. But Parrish will definitely go back in the nickel as well when it’s time to go in there.”
Bowles also was adamant that Tykee Smith, who moved from nickel in 2024 to safety in 2025, will stay at safety.
Joe loves the concept of keeping Parrish on the field. He’s too good to not play every snap. Joe also has learned to be skeptical of what Bowles says about the nickel position since he changes nickels every year. In 2022, he moved Antoine Winfield, Jr. there. In 2023, it was Christian Izien. Then Smith and Parrish in successive years, when both were rookies. He changed nickels when Bucco Bruce Arians was head coach, too.
Regardless, the Bucs have a lot of flexibility at nickel if Izien returns for a fourth season; he’s a restricted free agent.
February 27th, 2026 at 10:17 am
Parrish was probably our best defender last year. Morrison missed camp and it showed, but he can be good if he stays healthy in camp and the rest of the season. Zyon might end up being the weak link in the secondary. He’s always been a poor tackler and is a liability in the lower red zone in man coverage.
February 27th, 2026 at 10:43 am
Todd McShay will be on “Wake Up Barstool” on FS1 at 11:00. I’m actually watching him from 9:00am on my DVR. The repeat episode is always ‘back-to-back’ as of right now, until they decide on what (if anything) they’re doing to fill that time slot. I’m sure this will be VERY GOOD. The McShay segment usually is.
February 27th, 2026 at 10:46 am
Even if Bowles had Rondé Barber in his prime his Swiss cheese scheme would yield the same results.
The guy has been coasting for years on perceptions that he is some defensive mastermind.
Just ask Cousins or Ewers how tough the Bowles defense is to pick apart.
Absolutely unforgivable that he was allowed to keep his job.
#SuperBowles
February 27th, 2026 at 10:46 am
I was thinking yesterday, about HOW BADDDDD last year’s draft was for the Bucs, that I literally had to rack my brain for over a MINUTE (maybe two lol), while trying to remember WHO they even took with their 2ND-ROUND PICK LMAO. That is HOW BAD. LoL. Morrison, the “God Son,” by the way! Hahahah.
February 27th, 2026 at 11:02 am
Well, actually it/he wasn’t very good today. Of course, since I talked him up. Don’t waste your time. Nowhere near as good as usual.
February 27th, 2026 at 11:04 am
So I’m assuming MelvinJunior is just some kind of troll…..can anyone confirm or deny..
February 27th, 2026 at 11:26 am
I don’t know if MelvinJunior is a troll, but after last year and Bowles and JL retention I confess I am.
Signed
Fan since ’68 turned troll.
February 27th, 2026 at 11:55 am
Draft a CB. Trade Zyon for some other defensive help. Start Parrish, Morrison, and draft pick
February 27th, 2026 at 12:18 pm
@BigBucBoi, I don’t know if we can trade Zyon with how much we are paying him – maybe a team wanting to lose and wanting more picks for next draft would take him?
I like Zyon as a person, he just seems like he can’t get his mind right while playing despite having the athletic tools.
I could see this year playing out in so many different ways – I for one am not confident in putting money anywhere on this team this year.
February 27th, 2026 at 1:10 pm
Parish is going to return with a man’s body.
He still had a teenagers body last year.
He will return rocked up.
Morrison too.
They both need “evolutionary off-seasons”
They both need to come back 5 pounds stronger and faster.
And hopefully we keep Dean.
February 27th, 2026 at 1:20 pm
There’s about five people here, when I see their name I just scroll to the next post
February 27th, 2026 at 1:55 pm
If we move Parrish to the boundary, who’s going to play Nickel?
If anything, what we need to do if we wind up Dean-less, who’s going to compete with Morrison for his job?
Because he damn sure didn’t beat anybody out last season, McCollum included.
February 27th, 2026 at 1:56 pm
sounds good to me…
the entire teams needs to compete for a position except a half dozen players…
this team lacks competition…we gift players positions without earning them…
GO BUCS!!!!
February 27th, 2026 at 2:41 pm
Warren Brooks Lynch … ‘If we move Parrish to the boundary, who’s going to play Nickel?’
My HOPE is that we re-sign Izien. Bucs used him quite effectively in 2023 (17 games – 719 def snaps) & 2024 (14 games – 697 def snaps), but abysmally in 2025 (14 games – only 166 def snaps). Did use him more on S/Ts last year though.
Christian was actually very effective at Nickel in 2023 & 2024.
o 2023: 17 games – 2 INT – 1 FF – 3 TFL – 2 PD – 57 targets – 43 completions – 75.4% – 1 TD allowed – 56 blitzes – 5 pressures – 65 tackles (47 solo) – 9.7% Missed Tackles
o 2024: 14 games – 1 INT – 1 FF – 2 TFL – 3 PD – 54 targets – 35 completions – 64.8% – 0 TD allowed – 24 blitzes – 2 pressures – 75 tackles (48 solo) – 9.6% Missed Tackles
o 2025: 14 games – 0 INT – 1 FF – 0 PD – 15 targets – 11 completions – 73.3% – 1 TD allowed – 2 blitzes – 1 pressure – 25 tackles (16 solo) – 7.4% Missed Tackles
So here’s a player with 3 years experience in Bowles’ defense who was undrafted, has accumulated almost 1800 def snaps in those 3 years … all at a TOTAL COST of only $2.7 mil. He’s a restricted FA, which likely means he’d at lkeast make the vet minimum of $1.17 mil with maybe $100K guaranteed. At that price, Izien is a fantastic bargain IMO, especially since he’s experienced in playing Safety AND CB.
February 27th, 2026 at 5:44 pm
“My HOPE is that we re-sign Izien. Bucs used him quite effectively in 2023 (17 games – 719 def snaps) & 2024 (14 games – 697 def snaps), but abysmally in 2025 (14 games – only 166 def snaps). Did use him more on S/Ts last year though.“
Izien was hurt to start the season. Oblique going into week 1, but a quad injury somewhere around weeks 3 & 4 so I cut him some slack. My thing is, do we just a lot him in at NB by default, because no matter what we’ll still have to bring in new talent to the CB room. We’re looking at losing Dean & Vildor this season and I’d only be upset with one of those guys not coming back.
I like Izien, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think there’s anybody outside of Parrish and our safties that should not have to compete for their snaps, and that’d include Izien if we bring him back(which we should).
We’ve got 3 RFAa. Izien, Tucker, & Watts. Watts imo, doesn’t need to be brought back imo, he’s even Cam Gill good.
Speaking of Cam Gill, a depth guy I kind of miss is Kevin Minter lol
February 27th, 2026 at 6:01 pm
DR and WBL. You guys don’t remember JJ Roberts? Guy was undrafted last year and got hurt in the preseason but I think he’s a solid secondary guy who could play some this year.
February 27th, 2026 at 6:36 pm
Good call by Kenton about JJ Roberts. He’s mainly a safety but maybe he could move to nickel with Parrish moving outside? It’s been so long since I saw JJ, I’m not sure what his skills are?
February 27th, 2026 at 6:38 pm
Kenton … JJ Roberts has great potential and is already under contract for 2026 (for a measly $1.0 mil). IF he can stay healthy, I’m convinced he’ll make the team.
I suspect we’ll keep 5 Safeties … Winfield, Tykee Smith, Izien, JJ Roberts plus 1 other.
February 27th, 2026 at 6:47 pm
He’s going to be a good corner!!
February 27th, 2026 at 7:41 pm
Loosing Winfield in the Crosby trade. Lol. Pathetic nonsense.
February 27th, 2026 at 7:52 pm
“DR and WBL. You guys don’t remember JJ Roberts? Guy was undrafted last year and got hurt in the preseason but I think he’s a solid secondary guy who could play some this year.“
Doesn’t play CB, as it stands we have Morrison-McCollum-Parrish-Hayes as CBs under contract. I think we’ve signed someone to a futures deal, but I can’t remember the name right now.
Might not be able to upgrade from Dean w/o some hardships, but we can damn sure upgrade Vildors’ vacated seat in the CB room.
Haven’t talked CBs much on here, but if we’re talking kicking Parrish to the perimeter a Keionte Scott would be awesome.
February 27th, 2026 at 11:24 pm
Bowles changes nickels like Gruden with QBs. That’s why Culpepper changed his look every year. Coach always likes the new guy.
February 28th, 2026 at 3:14 am
This sounds alot like Todd playing his ever present “I can fool em” defensive games. Can we just play good solid football please?
Go Bucs!