Can A Defense Get Better When It Loses Its Best Corner?
June 10th, 2026
Cornerback play in focus.
A year ago, Joe had enough of Bucs corner Jamel Dean.
It wasn’t because Joe didn’t think Dean could play.
What drove Joe nuts was Dean was always hurt. Dean had struggled to finish playoff games in the past few years. If seemed he didn’t miss the game outright, he left with an injury.
What good is a guy if he can’t stay on the field for the team’s most important games? And when Dean missed games, the defense struggled.
But last year, Dean remade his body, in part knowing he was not coming back (though he wanted to stay — he’s from Cocoa and owns a trucking company based in Plant City). His physical goal worked. Dean was able to start 14 games last year, second-most of his career.
That wasn’t the sole reason why the Joe typing here wanted Dean back this season.
Fellow starting cornerback Zyon McCollum really dropped off the map. If McCollum was on a team with more options at cornerback, Joe’s not sure he would retain his starting gig this fall.
And unless Benjamin Morrison has a massive transformation this summer (very possible), there was nothing he showed last year, his rookie season, to reveal that he’s ready to start.
Joe thinks it is a no-brainer of no-brainers to move Jacob Parrish to outside corner. But KitKat-eating Bucs coach Todd Bowles keeps talking about Parrish staying at nickel. Because of this, Joe lies awake in a cold sweat at night thinking of Joe Burrow slinging the rock to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins with McCollum and Morrison guarding these guys in Week 1.
So Joe got to wondering how a defense can improve when it lets its best corner walk and looked at some recent Bucs history.
In 2023 with Carlton Davis, the Bucs coughed up 4,568 yards passing (30th) and 66.12 completion percentage (22nd). In 2024 without Davis, the Bucs allowed 4,464 passing yards (30th) for a completion percentage of 66.35 (22nd). So basically, pass coverage stayed the same.
In 2011, Aqib Talib, in his last full season with the Bucs, Tampa Bay allowed 3,814 passing yards (21st) for a 62.58 completion percentage (25th). In 2013, the first full season without Talib, the Bucs gave up 3,806 passing yards (17th) and a 64.35 completion percentage (24th).
Talib was traded by the Bucs to the Belicheats eight games into the 2012 season.
In 2013, the Bucs also had Darelle Revis. He couldn’t play for lousy Lovie Smith. So the Bucs just cut him (funny, Bill Belicheat found a way to use Revis and won a Super Bowl with him — and Talib, too!).
The first year after Revis? The Bucs allowed 4,084 yards passing (28th) and allowed a completion percentage of nearly 70 percent (!) 68.62 percent, dead-friggin’-last in the NFL.
So as you can see from this information, when the Bucs let walk/ran off their best corner, only once did the defense get better and not very much.
Again, if the Bucs plan to start Parrish in place of Dean, Joe could live with that. So far, Bowles has given no such indication.
Common sense says McCollum/Morrison vs. Chase/Higgins/Burrow is a major, major mismatch in the Bengals’ favor. It doesn’t have to be.
“I will tolerate you until I can replace you,” former Bucs coach Raheem Morris once said.
Right now, this Joe doesn’t see Dean’s replacement on the roster if Parrish sticks at slot corner.
Jeff Okudah chart breaker https://t.co/sPftRoc8uB pic.twitter.com/gv50b4qf0K
— Football Insights ? (@fball_insights) June 10, 2026
June 10th, 2026 at 4:53 am
Yes, a defense CAN get better after losing it’s best corner. The Bucs needed to upgrade its front seven on defense, and it did. It doesn’t matter much how good the CBs are if the opposing QBs have as much time as the Bucs defense have been giving them in recent years. To get back to being a real contender again, they’ve got to be able to put intense pressure on the QB. That’s got to be the priority, and it’s clear the Bucs understand that. It would be nice to retain Dean, but you can’t pay everybody.
June 10th, 2026 at 5:13 am
Licht is going to make the Bucs defense great again and the new players brought in so far via the draft and free agency will be a big part of it. But it’s a work in progress. I can see the defense truly being great in 2027, but it’s not a finished product yet. More pieces need to be added, and while I believe Bain and the others added via the draft will be great, it’s not realistic to expect that in their rookie seasons.
June 10th, 2026 at 6:19 am
I’m more worried about our depth!
What if Zion and Morrison get hurt?
We will start Parrish and Josh Hayes?
Are you kidding me?
Scott cannot play outside CB.
I hate our lack of depth at CB year after year.
1. Zion
2. Parish
3. Morrison
4. Nobody
5. Nobody
6. Nobody
7. Josh Hayes
Josh Hayes is a #7 CB and gunner. That’s it.
I am really angry about the lack of depth at CB.
After QB and the trenches.
Cornerbacks are the most important players!
wtf are we doing!?
June 10th, 2026 at 6:22 am
Yeah. More pieces will need to be added. But Baker is going to command almost 20% of the cap next year. QBs are crazy expensive.
June 10th, 2026 at 6:39 am
Hoping for the best – Preparing for the worst. If no constant pressure and hits on Burrow he and those receivers will torture our secondary. It could get ugly for these DBs without big time
help from the front seven and some smashmouth ball control from the offense. Let’s go ?
June 10th, 2026 at 7:16 am
After the Bucs won the Super Bowl they immediately became a team in transition.
They were loaded with aging stars that needed replacing ✨️. It takes time to rebuild and you are watching a roster rebuilding of the Bucs.
This team is getting younger and Jason Licht looks to be rebuilding the team correctly.
It looks promising this year.
Gone are the days of the old lPittsburgh dynasties. The NFL changed the rules to end dynasties and created parity in the league.
The Bucs are building the team fir another shot at the Super Bowl ?.
June 10th, 2026 at 7:31 am
Mike + Dean=$34 million per year. Remember that article about the Bucs having all three people making $20 mil per year? Unsustainable
June 10th, 2026 at 7:33 am
This defense has NOWHERE to go but up. I’m so sick of this being the same case with every dc. Lovie, Mike, todd…they all run soft zone and and cant coach defense. Is it just a clause the glaziers put in every contract?
June 10th, 2026 at 7:49 am
CB’s are only as good as the defensive line. Put a little heat on the QB and watch the secondary thrive. Seemed like QBs had 5 seconds last year, and there isn’t a CB in the NFL that can cover that amount of time.
June 10th, 2026 at 7:57 am
Joe … ‘Right now, this Joe doesn’t see Dean’s replacement on the roster if Parrish sticks at slot corner.’
Outstanding walk down memory lane Joe, but all those numbers showed me is that the Bucs’ pass defense has CONSISTENTLY allowed a LOT of yards for many years. Doesn’t appear to have mattered all that much which CBs were starting outside.
Personally I feel our problem historically lays more in the (1) trenches; (2) LB corps; (3) defensive schemes than it has in the Secondary. I’m convinced that the Bucs have gone all-out this off-season to rectify problems that we’ve had in the trenches & LB corps. How much Bowles’ scheme will change to take advantage of these upgrades is anyone’s guess at this point.
I think we’ve done a good job of incorporating lessons learned from the Seattle Seahawks’ #1 defense and the Denver Broncos #3 defense (they both also run a 3-4 like we do).
Looks to me like everything in Seattle started with their DLine (they got 16.5 sacks). Their OLBs got 18 sacks, and their ILBs added another 6 sacks. Their Secondary added 6.5 sacks more … for their team total of 47 sacks.
Broncos’ defense led the league in sacks last year (a whopping 68 sacks), but did it in much the same way as the Seahawks did. Their DLine got 25 sacks (wow). Their OLBs got 29 sacks (another wow), and their ILBs contributed 6.5 sacks. Their Secondary added another 7.5 sacks … for a team total of 68 sacks.
Look at how our Bucs did last season in comparison. Our Dline got 10.5 sacks. Our OLBs added another 14 sacks, and our ILBs contributed 6.5 sacks more. Our Secondary added another 6 sacks … for a team total of 37 sacks.
Our DLine needed beefing up. and we did that by adding Robinson (320 lbs), RNR (305 lbs) and Capehart (315 lbs). I fully expect our revamped DLine will give us a better Run Defense AND Pass Rush (plus more sacks). Our OLBs have been beefed up also with the addition of Bain (270 lbs) to pair with Diaby (270 lbs). We also got a ton of changes on the backend obviously, but HOPEFULLY the changes upfront will lead the charge & make a huge difference for us. I’m still convinced we’ll end up being a Top-10 defense.
June 10th, 2026 at 8:19 am
I think we’re talking a little too early about this as well. This early in the off season with voluntary minicamps and such, I think Bowles is just dabbling to see who can play nickel and do a little cross traning… but I think Parrish moving outside will still happen. Bowles is all secretive and never shows his hand early anyhow.
And I also think with the new coaching and focus that Morrison and McCullum will play better.
McCullum needs to focus on but he’ll be getting from his more specific coaching… Using his eyes better, etc.
Morrison just needs to keep growing and learning, but mainly to stay healthy. Like to see us pick up a more seasoned CB somewhere before camp starts in late July.
That is only 6 weeks away, BTW!!!
I’ll wait to judge (and/or worry) once I see what their doing in preseason.
June 10th, 2026 at 8:20 am
… And I agree with DR, the new additions to the front seven will help out the secondary tremendously. So will the new coaching.
June 10th, 2026 at 8:53 am
Yes, the Defense can get better when losing your top CB if everything else about the Putrid Pass Defense is improved. Mainly the Pass Rush!! Which one cannot but be optimistic about all the moves to shore that area up. C’mon now. Maybe Bowles D will actually look good with better personnel??
June 10th, 2026 at 8:53 am
We hear the same things year after year about the defense but nothing ever changes.
Same soft as butter Swiss cheese scheme. Same inept decision making skills.
Zero consequences for having the 32nd ranked red zone defense in a putrid division.
It will magically change once we cut the drift wood known as Toad Bowels.
June 10th, 2026 at 9:34 am
We will be a lot better this year with more pressure. Corners cannot cover forever no matter who they are. More pressure also causes more turnovers which will help this team win more games. We have quite a group of edge rushers now that we can even rotate and keep fresh. Tackles too. The answer to your question is yes if you have young talented corners to replace them and they keep getting better and your team causes a lot more pressure.
Also crucial to avoid injury but we really do need another outside corner in case of injury. We don’t want to be scraping the bottom of the pile this year like we did with Vildor last.
June 10th, 2026 at 9:36 am
The drafting of Keionte Scott makes me think we will play more nickel and dime too.
June 10th, 2026 at 9:43 am
It’s the year to give up the most passing yards in the league. I know Todd can do it. The days of being “almost worst” are behind us. This is the year Todd will show out, and be best at being the worst.
June 10th, 2026 at 9:55 am
Yes Joe I totally agree and have been saying it over and over. The thought of McColumn and Morrison starting is a real eye opener and not in a good way. I really wish and hoped the Bucs would add a veteran corner. However, they chose to roll the dice and the odds don’t look good. I think these are things that get HC fired. I mean the pass defense has been bad for a few years last year was the worst. Yet nothing was done to improve it. Yes they added Scott, however he is a rookie and nickel is not the issue. Hopefully Parrish starts outside, but that leaves the other cb position in dire straights. Then to make matters worse their is absolutely no depth behind McColumn and Morrison who should actually be on the bench in the first place.
June 10th, 2026 at 10:08 am
Dean got hurt last season and wouldn’t have made the playoffs if the bucs did the unthinkable and made it to the playoffs. What good is a supposedly best corner who isn’t there when you need him most, at that point you can pull a nobody off the street who at least will be there and not in a tub somewhere when it matters and at any rate he is gone anyhow so who cares.
June 10th, 2026 at 10:22 am
“Joe got to wondering how a defense can improve when it lets its best corner walk”
By improving the pass rush – Duh…. which is exactly what Licht did.
A strong pass rush makes average DBs look good – and makes good DBs look great!
Top 10 defense (points) incoming this year – watch…..
June 10th, 2026 at 10:36 am
Morrison will be better than Dean and is younger and cheaper. Hence the reason they let the injury prone Dean walk.
They still need another vet CB for depth, but a 2yr Parrish, a 2yr Morrison and a more focused Zyon and adding a stud play maker in Scott is better than most like to think.
You dont draft a CB in the 2nd round and judge him after one season with virtually no off-season.
Morrison is my pick for surprise/most improved player on this team this season.
June 10th, 2026 at 10:52 am
not this defense. morrison and zyon both were hurt last year , will happen again this year. zyon was also lame when healthy.
June 10th, 2026 at 11:12 am
@Teacherman
laid it out plain and simple. Clueless JL operating on hope alone I guess. I’m not sure why they ran off Dean by cutting his salary and totally disrespecting him. Regardless, they are playing with fire if they don’t shore up the depth in the secondary. They need at least 2 veteran corners with some juice. They can’t afford to just add the Vildors of the world again. it’s bad enough to have an ILB out there that can’t cover and then expect inexperienced corners to take up the slack. One injury away from disaster. How the FO can’t see this is astounding. Beefing up the D line is great. It will all be a wasted effort if you leave the secondary completely devoid of depth. Kind of like the O line last year. How did that work out?
June 10th, 2026 at 11:33 am
Talib and Revis were blights on this team. Locker room issues. They had to go. Talib even took a swing at the coach.
Is it that this Joe does not believe in player development? Davis was developed. Dean was developed.
Morrison, Parrish and Scott will be developed.
McCollum is a veteran who I think should be better than he is, but the differences between 2024 & 2025 were not huge considering he missed played in 4 games fewer in 2025.
Honestly, I believe Scott is the wildcard this year. Normally, I expect rookie CBs to have subpar seasons, but Scott is intriguing enough to make me thing he might do better than most.
June 10th, 2026 at 11:34 am
I do expect Morrison to start showing some stuff this year.
June 10th, 2026 at 11:36 am
“missed played in 4 games fewer in 2025.”
Can’t blame that one on autocorrect.
“played in 4 games fewer in 2025.”
June 10th, 2026 at 11:43 am
Our season depends on several problem areas (guard cb wr) getting weaknesses patched by existing players
I would have kept dean and dont find the arguments in this article to be persuasive except where better coaching won super bowls…that sticks with me
As far as the rebuilds at special teams edge and lb I only see special teams being an upgrade this year. The others maybe in time
June 10th, 2026 at 12:00 pm
Hopefully Morrison works out because I was really iffy on that pick because of those hip injuries.
June 10th, 2026 at 1:55 pm
Bucs should consider bringing in former St Louis Cardinals CB Roger Wehrli to work with the young corners during Training camp. (If he’d do it)
The Hall of Famer could teach the mental aspects of playing in the secondary.
June 10th, 2026 at 2:30 pm
Also dont forget the bucs defense line was in the tops of the league when it comes to defensive qb pressures last season. The line isnt that bad its the coaching. The 3 best cornes in the entire league would underperformed playing for Todd’s defense. You can literally park a school bus in between the corners and wrs majority of the time
June 10th, 2026 at 3:04 pm
Yup one injury and now they will have to play a different scheme. No depth. It’s a Bucs life.
June 10th, 2026 at 3:58 pm
Dean’s knees are like a Dodge Caravan with 180,000 miles. It’s not a question of if, it’s when. And when is usually when you need them most.
June 10th, 2026 at 9:11 pm
Joe, the best way to protect the Bucs outside CB’s – regardless of which 2 is out there on an island – is with a real pass rush…It’s only June 10th, but as of today, the Bucs have a much better chance at creating a formidable pass rush from their Edge collection than they have in years.
Even if that assumption is based on the evilness that is hope as much as prior production…Bain, YaYa, Muhammad, Walker, and Nelson give the Bucs at least a chance at being an C+/B- OLB/Edge room at getting to the QB.
My prediction is that the above mentioned will double the Sacks / Pressures / TFL created by the top 5 OLB in 2025.
(Braswell better be on his game in camp because he is now on the clock for most-likely-2nd rd pick to be losing their roster spot!)
June 11th, 2026 at 8:12 am
I expect to see an article every time Dean shows up on an injury list and misses time this year to counteract the doom and gloom articles about how we lost our “best corner” who only stayed healthy in his contract year.
June 11th, 2026 at 1:09 pm
Not only that, Dean was *consistently* injured in the playoffs or during playoff games at critical junctures when we needed him *most*. If anyone knocked us out of the playoffs it was typically him.
June 11th, 2026 at 1:12 pm
Also, the chance of having Kancey all year dramatically increases our chances of sacks from the D-line. Put it all together and we should have a much better defense if our corners don’t get injured. Like I mentioned before, we will probably play more nickel and dime on obvious passing downs which increases the odds of having both Parrish and Scott on the field with their elite speed (especially Scott).