The Bucs secondary struggled mightily in 2017, but the cornerback group got a boost from the 2018 NFL draft and hopes to rebound this year.
Losses
Robert McClain.
Additions
2nd round pick M.J. Stewart, 2nd round pick Carlton Davis, UDFA Miko Myers and 2nd year pro David Rivers.
Starters
Veteran Brent Grimes continues to hold down one of the two outside corner slots. Currently, 2nd round pick Carlton Davis is the man getting the reps opposite of Grimes. Meanwhile, 2016 1st round pick Vernon Hargreaves is penciled in at nickel back.
Bucs Backups
Fellow 2nd round pick Stewart looks to challenge Hargreaves at NB, while Javien Elliot, Ryan Smith, and Josh Robinson return to round out the core.
Improvement or No?
It’s hard to say at this point. Relying on two rookies at corner, one of the toughest positions to make the jump from college to the NFL, can be a daunting proposition. It worked out for the Saints last season with CB Marshon Lattimore. The Bucs are hoping Davis or Stewart can step into an impact role and that Hargreaves can finally figure it out. Grimes is steady and is still one of the more talented corners in the league, but can he hold up for the grueling 16 (and hopefully more) games?
J.C. De La Torre
Want to give JC a piece of your mind? E-mail him at JC@whatthebuc.net JC De La Torre is formerly a columnist/blogger for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers blog site BucsNation.com where in 2016, he was nominated as best sportswriter in Tampa Bay by Creative Loafing. Previously, he served as a featured columnist for Bleacher Report on Tampa Bay sports, an editor and featured columnist for SB Nation Tampa Bay covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Gators, wrote for NFL.com’s Blog Blitz and contributed to Pewter Report, one of the top magazines on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. JC is also a filmmaker, comic writer and rabid Whovian.
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