ESPN: Bucs Still Need A “Starting-Caliber Corner”
March 20th, 2025
Bucs CB Bryce Hall.
UPDATED: Maybe the Bucs aren’t done shopping yet.
With the re-signing of former Jets starting cornerback Bryce Hall, Joe had a hunch that meant starting corner Jamel Dean was safe and Hall would be a swing corner with 20 or so snaps on defense and filling in for Zyon McCollum or Dean when they get hurt.
And as sure as death, taxes and upsets in the NCAA tournament, Dean will get hurt.
However, Jenna Laine of ESPN doesn’t think the Bucs are done shopping. Or at least she thinks they shouldn’t be.
With Dean’s history of missing games — and now that he’s pushing 30 NFL players who get older don’t often get healthier — Laine seems to think the Bucs need a part-time starting corner ready to roll for when Dean is injured.
And he will get hurt.
[The Bucs] addressed cornerback depth in signing Kindle Vildor after Bryce Hall’s injury last year and Tyrek Funderburk and Josh Hayes’ struggles. But they need a starting-caliber corner as an insurance policy for Jamel Dean, who has struggled to stay healthy.
Joe thought that was why the Bucs brought back Hall.
UPDATED: Joe deleted comments about Hall being injured in New York. He was not, just on the inactive gameday lists.
March 20th, 2025 at 7:06 am
Depth, depth and more depth…. is how you survive 17 game schedule plus preseason….
March 20th, 2025 at 7:22 am
Am liking the Freudian slip. Calipers squeeze brake components together to stop a vehicle. The Bucs need their CBs to squeeze some footballs this coming season.
I’m still thinking that Dean is a potential cut but the Bucs are waiting for the draft to see how it shakes out. This team operates on value and Jamel’s durability makes him a very expensive luxury if they can find ball hawks in the draft.
ILB and CB are top priorities in this draft in my way of thinking but with the FA signings, the Bucs have opened up the door to taking the best player available. That’s truly where you want to be. Can’t wait.
March 20th, 2025 at 7:24 am
Umm, should be “starting caliber corner” guys. Sheesh.
A “caliper” is a part on a car’s braking system. O-k.
And the Bucs still need a starting Corner, yes.
March 20th, 2025 at 7:28 am
Or, more likely, Jenna is a day behind on her Bucs signings or wrote the article a day before it was published.
March 20th, 2025 at 7:30 am
Back in the day, proof readers were employed. Not anymore. And it’s not just here.
March 20th, 2025 at 7:37 am
Keep bolstering the D-line & all your corners will improve by proxy
March 20th, 2025 at 7:45 am
Gotta get them starting caliper players.
March 20th, 2025 at 7:53 am
There is an extraordinarily high chance that we will draft a CB on the first 2 days of the draft. So there’s that.
March 20th, 2025 at 8:01 am
If we go corner in round one, worries me a little.
The Bucs have only drafted two corners in the last 20 years in round one, Aqib Talib and Vernon Hargreaves. Talib went on to be a pretty good starting corner but he didn’t resign with us after his rookie contract. He was definitely not a character guy fitting the mold of the type of guys Licht drafts the past few years. Vernon Hargreaves was straight up a bust. Licht has been amazing on many pics especially in the lower rounds but he hasn’t had a really good track record with first round cornerbacks and edge rushers. Maybe get that beastly DT round 1 (pick up of of Vita Vea was huge – no pun intended – though a lot of fans wanted Derwin James), and snag a CB in 2 and both inside/outside linebacker in 3 and 4 depending on availability and BAP (2025 draft has good depth at edge, not sure with ILB). Just have to trust that Licht can repeat last season’s draft with impact players rounds one through four (assuming Braswell will be an impact player this season).
March 20th, 2025 at 8:01 am
How would you even measure that?
(Sorry, I couldn’t resist the pun).
March 20th, 2025 at 8:04 am
Cutting Dean is suicide. Everyone saw what happened when he was out. Rookies don’t make a huge impact unless you draft a star and quality free agents cost money. Have patience and let Jason do his job.
March 20th, 2025 at 8:05 am
I like Tyrek Funderburk. While he’s not starting caliber, but as a undrafted rookie who ran a 4.39 in the 40, he held his own. I think he’ll improve this season and might replace Tykee Smith, who most likely will move to safety.
March 20th, 2025 at 8:28 am
We probably need to come out of this draft with two corners that can potentially be “starting caliper” players.
The Bryce Hall signing means nothing other than depth. He and Dean can finish each other’s games when one or the other of them inevitably gets injured halfway through the 2nd quarter of every other game. At this point you can almost set your bowels to it with Dean.
March 20th, 2025 at 8:43 am
Neither Dean or McCollum would be starting CB’s on most teams. Agree that McCollum is a good athlete but he got beat way to often last year. Could be he wasn’t getting over the top help from safeties. Could be the lack of an outside pass rush hurt both CB’s. In a pass defense that was horrid last year, it seems logical that the CB’s and safeties were big part of the problem.
March 20th, 2025 at 9:02 am
Don’t be surprised if the Bucs draft a CB with pick #19…
Plenty of solid ILBs can be found in rounds 2-3.
March 20th, 2025 at 9:17 am
Benjamin Morrison may be available in the second and would be the ultimate value pick. He was an all American his freshman year, and was a projected top 15 pick before he got hurt. And tbh if he’s your highest rated player at 19 then grab him. Why take a starting caliber player when you can have a pro bowl caliber player. Then all of a sudden our cb room is looking pretty damn good
March 20th, 2025 at 9:28 am
Depth is great but does this team have quality depth. Meaning can they execute this difficult defense to learn where after 5 seasons there’s still communication issues.
We’ll see.
March 20th, 2025 at 10:14 am
We only have 1 starting CB and that is Zyon. Dean hasn’t been very good and he is always hurt. Rookie CB take a good year to learn so hopefully they don’t just draft and go try to get a veteran starting CB opposite of Zyon.
March 20th, 2025 at 10:20 am
Barron out of Texas at CB.
No matter what.
He’s an absolute beast and would instantly make an impact.
Thus making the DE pass rush more effective.
Lock down CB for 10 years if we play it right.
LFG!!!
March 20th, 2025 at 10:21 am
Trenches, trenches, trenches. DBs look a lot better when dogs on the d-line are hunting.
March 20th, 2025 at 10:22 am
Hall is more than capable to fill in for Dean….frankly we sit in zone half the time, our issue really wasn’t CB play. The issue was having to blitz constantly because we cant generate organic pressure up front, forcing the CBs to sit in zone and not give up the big play. Other than missing games, Dean is more than capable for that role he’s just overpaid for what is being asked of him. My buddies that are Jets fans say Hall is a solid CB and can be a reliable #2 CB.
March 20th, 2025 at 10:29 am
i really hope JL trades out of the 1st round and collects more picks….
the defensive needs are obvious but imo we still need an OG and RB…
DE, CB, LB, DT, RB , OG
GO BUCS!!!!!
March 20th, 2025 at 10:32 am
If anyone doesn’t think rookie CBs can make a difference just ask the Eagles how that worked out for them.
March 20th, 2025 at 11:47 am
The Bucs have three starting caliber corners in Dean, McCollum and Hall, a treasure of a swing DB in Izien, that one rookie whose name escapes me and Thunderbird Funderburke. I love the ‘Burke Man’s length and speed- he looks like a young Antonio Crowmartie in flashes but only before the snap, once the ball is in play he looks like all the junk the Bucs used to trot out across from Talib way back when. He made 11 tackles in 2024 and missed 5. That’s a guy that’s going to be infuriating to watch unless he put on 10+ lbs and learns to use those freaky wings of his to wrap up. I have hope for him to hang around an suck less than the rest of his position group like EJ Biggers maybe but all that said- the Bucs starters are both in contract years and there is a wealth of CBs in this draft so I hope the Bucs grab a new pair with press man skill and talent.
March 20th, 2025 at 12:05 pm
^ Yup, i remember pushing for Dejean at first, but we needed that C, it was more important.
March 20th, 2025 at 12:13 pm
Anybody watch the Super Bowl again? When we beat Mahomes?
Sean Murphy Bunting was on the field most of the game as our #3 CB.
He was our 3rd CB and it worked beautifully!
SMB also had some huge interceptions that season.
Lesson?
Cornerback depth can win a Super Bowl.
What do OC’s look for? Matchup advantages.
Who do they target? The #3 CB.
I really hope we don’t mess around.
The stupid draft after our Super Bowl set us back 2 years.
I said that draft. Build depth. I said JPP, Suh and Barrett were getting old.
We got nobody that draft! And we came back with no depth!
1sr round: stick to the trenches. DT/DE
2nd round: CB
3rd round: ILB
4th round: CB (2 year project)
March 20th, 2025 at 12:47 pm
Unsure how talented any of our soon to be drafted players will be, or those on the current depth chart at DB are, but what is most concerning is the fact Bowles decided to stay status quo with the coaches overseeing what has been the most underperforming unit on the entire team these last few years. Hopefully we can find guys that can excel in spite of the “coaching” they receive.
March 20th, 2025 at 1:31 pm
Let’s not forget Reddick just made our dBs better.
LFG!!!!!
March 20th, 2025 at 2:41 pm
Actually the Bucs need a starting corner and Dean needs to be a back up. I don’t care how much the Bucs are paying him, he isn’t good for more than 6 games a season.
March 20th, 2025 at 4:18 pm
There is ZERO doubt in my mind that they’re looking for a starting caliber corner. That doesn’t mean it will happen. All depends on how the draft plays out. Really, no position on the defense is out of the question for spending premium picks this year. I have no confidence in Dean and I think they’d be better off trading him and using the pick on depth. But in that case we definitely need a starter out of the first 3 rounds.