“Bryce Hall Is A Legit Starter”
May 1st, 2024
The Bucs have seen value free agents sign one-year contracts and contribute at cornerback. Robert McClain and his three interceptions (2017) come to Joe’s mind.
Unfortunately, McClain was a challenging teammate, Joe was told. That probably explains why he never played in the NFL again after his 2017 Bucs season.
Ross Cockrell was a contributor on the Bucs’ 2020 Super Bowl team and stuck around for another season, but Joe can’t say he was true starter quality.
This year, the Bucs signed Bryce Hall in free agency, a guy stuck behind quality cornerbacks on the Jets roster. Hall’s film impressed Joe, and folks around the Big Apple don’t throw shade at him.
In Tampa, he’s a 26-year-old that has coaches’ attention.
Yesterday at One Buc Palace, cornerbacks coach Kevin Ross said with conviction that “Bryce Hall is a legit starter I think in this league. Prepares well. Very focused and knows what he’s doing. Knows where his help is and things like that.”
Ross added that there would be competition at outside cornerback.
Joe outlined previously how Hall was a beloved teammate with New York, as told by new/old Bucs safety Jordan Whitehead.
Considering Jamel Dean and Zyon McCollum combined for zero interceptions last season, Joe could see Hall having an outside chance to start if he proves to be a ballhawk in training camp and his play is consistent. Todd Bowles is crazy hungry for interceptions.
May 1st, 2024 at 1:59 pm
this team is desperate for more turnovers from picks. in my opinion one of the very very most important things to improve on from last year.
May 1st, 2024 at 2:02 pm
No/low interceptions correspond with no pressure on the QB
May 1st, 2024 at 2:06 pm
no qb pressure, 10 yards deep and LB blitzing…
middle is wide open.
slant is wide open
curl routes wide open.
honestly, unless todd changes things this D will die by 1000 cuts again this year.
Todd may know DB, and have a good DC resume, but he has lost a step the last few years.
May 1st, 2024 at 2:16 pm
I don’t believe nothing till game day the safety we had brought in from Seattle was trash af and everyone was saying he was a real threat …..yeah a real threat to our defense when he was on the field smh
May 1st, 2024 at 2:18 pm
Boss or maybe we didn’t have the players to fill in those holes think about last year we had to scrape the bottom of the barrel for help
May 1st, 2024 at 2:23 pm
Last drafted pass rusher in Buccaneer history was #63Leeroy Salmon. Five decades ago. Come on, what is so difficult that nearly 50(!) years pass before we draft a player that can reliably put the opposing QB on his arse? What is the major malfunction?
Git r done!
Go Bucs
May 1st, 2024 at 2:26 pm
Hall was a Pennsylvania All State wide receiver his senior year in high school. So he knows how to catch the ball unlike others on this d.
May 1st, 2024 at 2:36 pm
This reminds me of last season when we heard all offseason about how amazing Ryan Neal was going to be … and I kept asking why if he’s so great did Seattle let him go for nothing – and why did the Bucs get him on a cheap deal.
Well, it’s because he sucked
Not saying Hall will stink, but when a 26-year old with some experience at a premium position is signing a vet minimum with no signing bonus or anything, that’s normally just a roster filler type of player. But hopefully Licht nailed a signing here, that would be tremendous.
May 1st, 2024 at 2:38 pm
“My goal is to show the league I’m a legit starter. In Seattle, I had my chance to flash and show. Last year was really big, and this year, I want to make that set in stone, send a statement I’m a starting safety.” – Ryan Neal, one year ago.
May 1st, 2024 at 2:41 pm
“honestly, unless todd changes things this D will die by 1000 cuts again this year.”
Top 8 in points given up, at 18.6 PPG, isn’t really that bad or what I’d call something that died lol.
They had some bad games for sure tho like Houston. So did most NFL teams.
May 1st, 2024 at 2:42 pm
Rod … New guy has to prove himself; what a concept. Ryan Neal couldn’t do it. Hopefully Bryce Hall will.
May 1st, 2024 at 2:57 pm
This is going to sound crazy but I bet you will see Zyon and Hall as the starters and Dean will be the odd man out because of his injury history.
May 1st, 2024 at 3:02 pm
Has Ryan Neal still not signed with anyone? I missed that amazing news if he did – but I don’t think he has.
He was so insanely bad, literally lost the Bucs multiple games by taking some of the worst angles known to man and blowing coverage. Would the Bucs even bring him back at minimum wage with no bonuses to compete for a spot? Me, no, I would not. Also he’s 28, will be 29 before the end of the season.
Amazing how he got exposed. The Seahawks had to be laughing as the Bucs signed him and make him a starter without even seeing him in person. Seattle clearly knew what he was, and didn’t even want him on their team even at a very cheap salary.
I really don’t get how you can be so bad with angles – is it an intelligence thing, is it an instincts issue? What went wrong with the guy that made him the worst Bucs defense since peak-Ryan Smith?
May 1st, 2024 at 3:09 pm
How many interceptions did Bucs db’s drop last season that hit em right in the hands the one in Detroit that dean dropped could of been a pick 6 that changed the game
May 1st, 2024 at 3:10 pm
Yeah, Neil and Feiler weren’t the best pickup last year.
I’m not expecting much from Bredeson, and Opeta will be about the same as Stinnie, but I hope we got better there.
I’m a little more optimistic about Hall since his PFF grade was decent and he had the picks. Hopefully Hall and Tykee pick up the system quickly and bring some INT’s to the Bucs this year.
May 1st, 2024 at 3:11 pm
I think Ryan Neal just wasn’t smart enough to learn a very complex defense ion one year. They seemed to like him in Seattle and he must have had some good film on him for the Bucs to be interested. I would not be surprised if he went back to Seattle and did ok. He definitely wasn’t a fit in our system
May 1st, 2024 at 3:12 pm
We had just about the worst pair of starting corners in the league last year. I think we are last, or nearly so, in the league in interceptions by CB over the last five years or something like that. At least half of that ignominious duo is going to miss half a dozen games somewhere else. So Hall should be an immediate upgrade. A wax figure would be an immediate upgrade over Toast Davis.
May 1st, 2024 at 3:13 pm
Rod – I don’t think the Neal and Hall comparisons are fair. Hall was on the bench behind good players. Similar to what Shaq was going through in Denver.
I’m not suggesting he’s going to have the same impact as Shaq, but I see that as a more comparable situation. But it was a great signing by JL, he came cheap, if he works out, amazing, if not it was a great pitch to swing at.
May 1st, 2024 at 3:41 pm
CB is the biggest question mark on the team. A lot of unproven players with talent at CB. Odds are we’ll find a combination that works.
The good news is our Safeties are top notch.
May 1st, 2024 at 3:49 pm
Bryce Harper is a showboat, or used to be. Breece Hall is a good running back, I think. Never heard of Bryce Hall …
Kind of like the Logan Hall, Logan Ryan, Ryan Neal thing. Stay away from similar named free agents. They are like mutant clones.
May 1st, 2024 at 4:00 pm
I really liked Ross’ interview. Instead of just saying “I have to do better at coaching”, he spelled out what he was going to do. Having players catch 50 balls a day sounded very helpful to me. I can’t wait for the important pre-season! 🙂
May 1st, 2024 at 4:18 pm
The more the merrier! Competent DBs are hard to come by and keep. At a minimum, it’s good depth. Lets hope it becomes more.
May 1st, 2024 at 4:22 pm
I was pretty excited and they signed Bryce can’t wait for the speculation to end and the season to start so excited go bucs!!
May 1st, 2024 at 5:10 pm
I wasn’t exactly dancing in the street when we signed Hall, but I found out he was well liked in NY. He’s at least pretty good. He’s starter quality, but not a superstar. He can catch given a chance. I don’t think he’s as fast as Dean or McCollum. I can’t find a hard 40 time for the guy, but I saw estimates of 4.5-4.6 range. He’s not considered overly athletic. Good size tho at 6’1″ and 202 lbs listed. I think he’ll be fine
May 1st, 2024 at 5:19 pm
Ross Cockrell? He literally was targeted by opposing coaches which is known and it is on tape. Insane you would write that.
So he was so horrendous the Bucs brought him back the following season? Joe didn’t write that he was a strong player. What was expressed here is that Cockrell was a clear backup and he contributed, which he did. –Joe
May 1st, 2024 at 5:51 pm
Boge Says:
May 1st, 2024 at 3:13 pm
Rod – I don’t think the Neal and Hall comparisons are fair. Hall was on the bench behind good players. Similar to what Shaq was going through in Denver.
———
Shaq signed a $5m deal, which was a decent amount for an unproven player.
Hall just signed a veteran minimum with no guaranteed money (or I couldn’t find anything that said he got a bonus).
In any case I’m not burying the guy – just reminding people that we went through this last year, where people though picking up another teams trash was going to be an instant starter. Literally people in this very forum were anointing him as a pro-bowler.
Then again certain people in this forum said Chris Conte and Ryan Smith were two really good starters. LOL!
But I hope Hall does breakout and the Bucs win FA by getting him for nothing. But realistically, he’ll be lucky to make the team and be active on game day, unless he’s a special teams ace.
May 1st, 2024 at 6:12 pm
Hopefully Antoine Winfield won’t be the only db who can cover and intercept the ball
May 1st, 2024 at 6:18 pm
Really like The Brice Hall pick up. He is a very good Zone CB!
Starter? Absolutely.
I really love our secondary right now. When we replace Dean, Ill love it even more( next year)
But, as others have said- until we get a good pass rush, our secondary will suffer.
May 1st, 2024 at 6:32 pm
Honestly had kinda forgotten we signed Hall this offseason.
Competition between him and McCollum is great for everyone!
May 1st, 2024 at 6:33 pm
And agree with everyone on our woeful pass rush.
If only Philly had been dumb enough to trade Haason Reddick or something…
May 1st, 2024 at 7:12 pm
I think Hall is the best corner we got tbh
superbowl or bust
its a bucs life
May 1st, 2024 at 8:21 pm
Honestly I totally forgot about Bryce hall and now it make sense why we didn’t draft a corner.
May 1st, 2024 at 8:36 pm
I sure love hearing Deckerhoff say “Picked off!”
May 1st, 2024 at 9:03 pm
ROFL
May 1st, 2024 at 9:19 pm
It will take Hall half the season to learn Bowles complex system before he can reliably be a starter.
May 1st, 2024 at 11:27 pm
Rod out the joint down, your mom just walked in.
You honestly think Bryce might not make the team?
He will start, you watch.
You don’t get 16 PD in a season by being a practice squad guy.
Draft at CB fell the Jets way and they liked 2 others better.
DJ Reed had 12 PD his best year.
Coaches choice maybe, but Hall can play. Watch his highlights.
May 2nd, 2024 at 6:43 am
I don’t believe anybody will be unseating Zyon in the secondary. He made major improvements from year 1 to 2. No reason to think he’s not going to keep that trajectory in year 3.
May 2nd, 2024 at 8:46 am
Dean is soft. He gets hurt a lot.
We need a #3 CB who can start.
I see we have 3 CB’s.
Dean. CB1
McCollum. CB2
Hall. CB3
And we have 4 nickles.
Izien. Nickle 1.
Hayes. Nickle 2.
Tykes Smith. Nickle 3.
Tavarius Thomas. Nickle 4.
3 true Safeties with 3 hybrids
Winfield. Safety 1.
Whitehead. Safety 2.
Merriweather. Safety 3.
Tykes Smith. Safety 4.
Izien. Safety 5.
McCollum. Emergency safety 6.
But we lack a 4th outside CB.
We are deep at nickle but thin at outside CB.
May 2nd, 2024 at 10:25 am
Picks will come when they generate enough pressure up front without having to blitz !