The secondary is a spot where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers need to add depth. He question becomes how. The backfield market is drying up. The players left are either too expensive for the Bucs or will require coaching up. Here are two intriguing options for the team.
Corner
Joejuan Williams draft profile per NFL.com grades him as a plus starter in the league with a third-round grade. Eventually the Patriots selected him with the 13th pick in the second round. Then things didn’t work out. He didn’t see a nsap in 2022 after an injury and he was buried on the roster behind a few players. After three season the Patriots have let him walk. Now the Buccaneers have an opportunity to bring him in and determine if his career is recoverable.
In these three seasons in the league, he hasn’t graded poorly. In 2021 with 254 snaps on defense he graded out as a 66.6 on overall defense, 81.5 on run defense, 68.1 on pass rush, and 61.1 in coverage (per PFF). That not too terribly bad in limited action. He allowed 61.1% completion percentage on around 20 targets with four pass deflections.
This could be a sneaky signing with a young (25 years old) payer who may still have a high ceiling.
Safety
The Buccaneers have already signed one former Brown. Why not a second. John Johnson III was released by the Browns this offseason as they look to rebuild. At 27 years of age, he is likely not going to improve much from where stands but he may be of service to the Buccaneers.
Looking through his history you’ll find he played well in Los Angeles for the Rams during his first four years. Three of them he was graded above 82 for overall defense and above 84 for coverage by PFF. His tackling was not too far off either. In the last two seasons in Cleveland, he’s come back down regarding grades but that may have been scheme and an overall bad team. With that said he still performed well in 2022 only allowing 57.9% completion percentage and coming in with 79 tackles. Additionally, he lined up in the box, as a free safety, and in the slot. He has versatility.
With the safety market drying up rather quickly he may be the best and last option for a serviceable starter for the Buccaneers. Now the issue is will his price be driven up as the market continues to shrink?
Final Thought
The secondary will be addressed one way or the other. Pierre looks like a good option and the safety market is slim. The next step will be the draft where it will be more cap friendly and there are players that look fit to compete for starting roles within the first three rounds. It’s a waiting game now.
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