Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said he’d never bypass a good offensive player in the draft in order to bolster his defense, but there is one area where he’s looking to make an addition in the draft.
During last week’s league meetings, Bowles said it is “crystal clear” that the team needs more depth in their cornerback group and he indicated that any addition to the group will have a path to playing right away. The Bucs have Zyon McCollum, Jamel Dean, and Tykee Smith back from last year, but Bowles said that no one’s role is set in stone as they head into the offseason program.
“Like I said, everybody’s position is up for grabs,” Bowles said, via a transcript from the team. “I think Zyon is probably 1A, 1B because Zyon stayed healthier during the year. Dean has to get healthy. He comes in and he plays – he can’t play half a year, every couple of years. He understands he has to stay healthy and he’s doing everything he can to be healthy, but we have to have some depth there just in case. If somebody comes in and competes with him, he’s going to have to compete.”
The Bucs signed Kindle Vildor as a free agent, but it seems likely that there will be other new faces in the secondary before the month is out.
