Heading into 2026, the Bucs are gambling on growth.
The changes many are hoping for are on the defensive side of the football, and that they can hit it big with the moves they make in the coming months. Plenty of concerns have been stressed about the front seven, but what about the secondary? Under head coach Todd Bowles, the group has struggled in recent years, especially against the pass.
Adding to that problem is the fact that cornerback Jamel Dean is a free agent this offseason, and barring an unlikely return, Tampa Bay will head into next season without its top cornerback from the year before.
That has led to speculation that the Bucs could look to add more secondary help, but based on what Bowles said at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine this week, it sounds like the long-term foundation is set with the players they have.
Todd Bowles Praises Tykee Smith For Being The “Best Player” On Defense
Todd Bowles stepped on the podium at the NFL Scouting Combine, and the first question he was asked was about whether or not safety Tykee Smith would remain at the position. Smith spent his rookie season at the Bucs nickelback before moving into a full-time role last season. Based on his play, Bowles has no plans to have him make another position change.
Bucs SS Tykee Smith – Photo by: USA Today
“[Safety is] definitely a position for him long-term,” Bowles said. “We thought he was our best player probably, up until he hurt his shoulder. Probably three-quarters of the way through the season, he was our best tackler, he was our tone-setter, and I thought he was on his way to a heck of a season.”
In 16 games last season, Smith had 100 tackles, 13 passes defended, six tackles for loss, two sacks, and an interception. His best play came at the beginning of the year, and in a seven-game sample size, he did much of his damage with 58 tackles, seven passes defended, four tackles for loss, and two sacks.
Bowles was correct in saying that the 2024 third-round pick was the unit’s best player, as he showcased an impressive knack for the football and his overall versatility as a movable chess piece.
He had a solid 10.1% missed tackle rate, which to contextualize was just slightly higher than the 8.1%-mark safety Antoine Winfield Jr. had during his All-Pro year in 2023. As shown in the clip above, he is not afraid taking on bigger players and using every bit of his 5-foot-11, 202-pound frame to impose his will.
Moving from nickelback to strong safety was a smooth transition, which speaks to his high football intelligence. Smith filled the star position during his senior year at Georgia in head coach Kirby Smart’s defense. He had a productive season for the Bulldogs, and his ability to play across the field was a big part in the Bucs selecting him, and now it sounds like he has a home for years to come.
How Can Zyon McCollum Overcome His Boredom To Hold Down CB Spot?
While the Bucs are seemingly in good hands at safety between Tykee Smith and Antoine Winfield Jr., it is a different story at cornerback.
Zyon McCollum, who struggled and later suffered a season-ending hip injury, is in line to be Tampa Bay’s top outside corner next season. After giving McCollum a three-year, $48 million contract hoping he would take the next step, he clearly regressed. That extension is one that the front office might like to have back in hindsight, but the reality is that he is on the team.
Turning 27 years old in May, he still has the ability to turn it around, but after waiting for that breakout year for a couple of seasons now, he either has to step up or be prepared to compete for his future.
Bucs CB Zyon McCollum and head coach Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
It was at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine that Todd Bowles first mentioned a troubling problem of McCollum’s preventing him from taking the next step as a player.
“I think Zyon played very well most of the time,” Bowles said at the time. “I think when he got bored, he took chances and he did not play with as much technique. If he can just play with the technique he played with all the way through and not get bored, with his concentration he will be fine, but Zyon is definitely on the rise.”
Bowles then followed that up by saying this past November – amid poor play – that McCollum was once again getting “bored.”
“He was playing great at the start of the season,” Bowles said. “[There are] a couple of things he’s got to work on when he gets bored, but he’s got the talent and technique. He’s been solid for us…Probably subpar the last two weeks – he doesn’t get a lot of action, but technique-wise, he can clean up some things.”
Rams WR Davante Adams and Bucs CB Zyon McCollum – Photo by: USA Today
Pewter Report followed up with the defensive play-caller earlier this week about what it will take for McCollum to overcome his lapses in play. The criticism is understandably warranted, but there is no questioning that there is another gear he can reach when fully locked in.
“Just his eyes,” Bowles added. “Concentration with his eyes. That’s the only thing that is wrong with Zyon. He’s one of the best athletes that I’ve seen in this league. When his eyes get off target then that kind of messes him up a little bit, but he understands that. That’s one thing he’s got to work on.”
While bored sounds like a generality, it is also a recurring theme and something that is specific just to McCollum. It is a broad word to describe him, but also more pointed than just being inconsistent.
What About Young Bucs CBs Benjamin Morrison And Jacob Parrish?
For those that want to see the Bucs take additional swings at cornerback in the 2026 NFL Draft, do not expect that to happen.
Tampa Bay chose to formally meet only one cornerback that Pewter Report uncovered, and compared to other positions, it does not seem to be a priority. That is understandable, given the significant investment made by selecting Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish in the second and third rounds in 2025.
Bucs CB Benjamin Morrison – Photo by: IMAGN Images
While Parrish took the nickelback position and ran with it, Morrison faced some difficulties truly hitting his stride. Part of that was the lack of consistent playing time due to a series of hamstring injuries, with Jamel Dean and Zyon McCollum entrenched as the starters. “B-Mo” got some run at times when Todd Bowles subbed out Dean in questionable moments that magnified some of the rookie struggles that he had.
Not only that, but the injury bug bit Morrison hard as he was limited throughout the offseason ramp up last spring, summer, and throughout the year, as he missed seven games. Despite this, Todd Bowles likes what he has to offer when fully healthy.
“He’s shown some flashes,” Bowles said. “It’s important for him to have a good offseason. He didn’t have an offseason last year. So, we’ll get him back in the fold, and he has a good offseason and stays healthy, he’s definitely talented enough [to start].”
It would be a leap to count on Morrison starting a full 17-game season, but that is also what they drafted him for. The presumption when he was selected 53rd overall was that he would take the starting reins from Jamel Dean.
After taking a chance on him, now it is the time to give him one.
Bucs CB Benjamin Morrison – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
“I know he battled through some things last year that were really unrelated to his college injuries,” general manager Jason Licht said before Bowles spoke. “And I know he’s been working his butt off to try to remedy that and to get back, which he is 100% right now. We have a lot of faith and there’s a lot of excitement about what he can become as a player for us in his second year.”
It was always going to be hard to allocate more resources to the position. Given what good cornerbacks are paid on the open market, that does not seem like the route to add a starting caliber player. Giving Morrison every opportunity to become a starter on the outside sounds like the plan, in addition to seeing how Jacob Parrish could again factor in as a slot cornerback and an outside cornerback.
Parrish, who is still seen as the starting nickelback, cameoed on the outside and played 127 snaps out wide compared to 496 inside. Given his talent and the way Bowles values versatility, he could become the de facto No. 3 cornerback with J.J. Roberts and/or Christian Izien (if re-signed) rotating in at nickel.
“He’ll definitely battle outside in the spring and the summer,” Bowles said. “We think we got two good ones there, but Parrish will definitely go back in the nickel as well when it’s time to go in there.”
In totality, it sounds like most of the Bucs secondary pieces are already in place in 2026. They will be banking on some bouncing back (Antoine Winfield Jr. and Zyon McCollum) and others taking the next step (Tykee Smith, Morrison, and Parrish). In many ways, this secondary will define how far the defense can go in 2026. How it all unfolds will shape the long-term outlook.