Buccaneers miss out on golden opportunity to help fix their biggest roster issue and the contract details make it sting even more
Rasul Douglas was one of the more underrated free agents still available on the market, but that’s no longer the case after Monday’s news. The Buccaneers missed out on a great opportunity to add the former Super Bowl champ.
I’ve been pounding the drum for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to sign veteran cornerback Rasul Douglas before training camp, but alas, that is no longer a possibility.
That’s because, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Douglas signed a one-year deal with the Washington Commanders on Monday. It’s a cheap deal for the experience and prodution the former Super Bowl champ brings: a one-year contract worth up to just $3.8 million.
It honestly stings quite a bit when considering the question marks at cornerback and safety. It’s basically impossible to trust Benjamin Morrison at this point, who is expected to play an integral role in 2026. On top of that, backup safeties Miles Killebrew and J.J. Roberts continue to recover from last season’s injuries and have yet to practice with the Buccaneers.
Douglas would’ve not only come in and immediately compete with Morrison, but he could also play safety when it makes sense. He could’ve provided a decent band-aid at that spot while Roberts and Killebrew recovered. He also had a very good 2025 season, proving there’s plenty left in the tank.
There’s also the special teams aspect. While he hasn’t played much ‘teams over the last couple of seasons, Douglas has close to 900 special teams snaps over the course of the year. Meaning, he wouldn’t be taking up a roster space if he ended up losing out to Morrison. He likely would’ve contributed on special teams and then could step in if Morrison or any other perimeter corner got hurt.
And again, that’s assuming he didn’t outright beat Morrison for the job. The cost for Douglas’ potential is minuscule , yet the Buccaneers didn’t think it was worth brining him in.
Todd Bowles did mention during mandatory minicamp that he wanted to see the Buccaneers corners in action before deciding whether or not it was worth bringing someone else in. While that makes sense, playing the waiting game can quickly backfire and that’s exactly what just happened.
Now, the Buccaneers have very limited options when it comes to bringing in a quality corner, if any at all.
Who are some of the best options left now that Rasul Douglas is off the board?
Frankly, the best option out there at this point is Tre’Davious White, who had a pretty solid season with the Buffalo Bills in 2025.
In terms of fit, that’s really the only reliable player that makes sense. Kenny Moore is a nickel and the Buccaneers have three options in Jacob Parrish, Keionte Scott, and Tykee Smith to plug inside whenever needed. I wouldn’t touch Marshon Lattimore with a 100-foot pole after the last two seasons in Washington and Trevon Diggs appears washed, at this point in his career.
Either way, the Buccaneers are going to be scraping the bottom of the barrel if the time comes to make an addition whenever they could’ve had the cream of the crop. Now the hope is it doesn’t backfire between now and December.