The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have officially kicked off training camp, and head coach Todd Bowles is making it clear that starting jobs in the secondary are far from guaranteed.
The Buccaneers head coach joined the Ira Kaufman Podcast this week via JoeBucsFan.com and addressed questions surrounding the play of starting cornerback Jamel Dean, who has come under fire from fans for his lack of turnovers. Dean has just one interception and one forced fumble over the last two seasons.
Tampa Bay isn't brushing off the criticism. Bowles acknowledged the need for improvement across the entire defense when it comes to forcing turnovers, not just from Dean.
“It’s not just Jamel,” Bowles said. “Linebackers as well. So, we can do better getting off the field and playing better defense, getting turnovers.”
This echoes a similar tone Bowles struck back in February at the NFL Combine, where he voiced his desire for more “ballhawks” on defense. That message has carried over into camp, where the competition is heating up — especially at cornerback.
Second-round pick Benjamin Morrison and third-rounder Jacob Parrish are turning heads early and pushing veterans for playing time.
“[Morrison] is pushing the starters, him and [Jacob] Parrish,” Bowles said. “Zyon [McCollum] and Dean played very well; they’re very good corners. But we have a lot of competition at corner and camp will play out and we will play the guy we feel deserves to start.”
That’s a big shift from recent years, where some starting spots appeared locked in early, regardless of preseason performance. Dean, who signed a four-year deal in 2023, started 13 games last season but failed to record an interception. McCollum has been more consistent but also hasn’t developed into the playmaker Tampa Bay hoped he’d become.
With newcomers like Morrison and Parrish now in the mix, Bowles seems intent on letting performance dictate playing time, not contracts or depth chart legacy.
This isn't just a message to the secondary either. Bowles made it clear that the entire defense needs to step up when it comes to creating turnovers. Tampa Bay ranked in the bottom half of the league in takeaways last season, a trend Bowles wants to see reversed in 2025.
“We want guys who can take the ball away. That’s how you win games in this league,” he said back in February.
As training camp unfolds, keep an eye on the cornerback battles — because Bowles certainly will be.
