It seems that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offseason has focused solely on offense. From Baker Mayfield being the key to re-signing players or rookie Emeka Egbuka showing lots of promise as a receiver, the NFL might fear this offense. However, general manager Jason Licht has said there are two defensive rookies that will take the league by storm.
After selecting Egbuka in the first round, the next two picks were used to reinforce their secondary defense. In the second round, they took cornerback Benjamin Morrison from Notre Dame. Next, their third round pick was used on another cornerback, Jacob Parrish from Kansas State.
During an interview with the Sports Day Tampa Bay podcast, Licht said, “It’s been fun to watch. I don’t want to already stamp them, but we feel very, very good about them helping us out a lot this year.” While Licht doesn’t want to jinx them, he is ecstatic to have the rookies ready to go.
The Bucs already have talent on their defense
If Licht is correct about Morrison and Parrish, the Bucs might turn into one of the best passing defenses in the NFL. They already have tons of talent, including a top, kamikaze-style safety in Antoine Winfield Jr. However, if you look at the rest of their defensive backs, there is talent.
The Bucs also have cornerback Zyon McCollum, who blossomed in his third season last year. He has a stellar season with two picks, 17 passes defended and allowed only 57.4% of completions when he was targeted. If you add another two cornerbacks doing well as rookies, the Bucs could be looking to a top unit.
Are the Buccaneers close to a Super Bowl?
Tampa Bay has won four consecutive NFC South titles. Basically, they have their division on lock. Watching the state of the other teams in the division, they should be confident on winning it again. Their battle is with the heavyweights of the NFC, namely the Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, and other teams with good projects.
If they can stay healthy, the Bucs could easily challenge all teams. They will have an explosive offense with plenty of weapons and Baker Mayfield throwing dimes at them. And, their defense can have a serious improvement if Licht’s words about their rookies come true.