Buccaneers defense features two top 32 CBs in 2023
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may not be a Super Bowl contender in 2023, but their defense could be fun to watch for a few reasons.Jamel Dean and Carlton Davis. That's it, those are the two reasons.Obviously, there is more than that, but, when you have a defense that has two cornerbacks listed in the top […]
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may not be a Super Bowl contender in 2023, but their defense could be fun to watch for a few reasons.
Jamel Dean and Carlton Davis. That's it, those are the two reasons.
Obviously, there is more than that, but, when you have a defense that has two cornerbacks listed in the top 32 by PFF, that's plenty of reason to watch. The team as a whole will struggle, and there will be times when you get frustrated, but Dean and Davis are going to pair well together in 2023 on that side of the ball.
One NFL analyst ranked them both in his top 32, one of just a few teams that has two guys in the top 32.
10. JAMEL DEAN, TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS One of the league’s most underrated cornerbacks, Dean finally cashed in this offseason with a big payday from the Bucs. He has four straight seasons with a PFF coverage grade between 74.7 and 78.9, and though he doesn’t make a lot of plays on the football, he makes quarterbacks and receivers work for every yard.
29. CARLTON DAVIS, TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS Davis isn’t coming off his best year, but he still led the Tampa Bay cornerbacks last season with 11 pass breakups, more than double the next-best total. He allowed an 85.8 passer rating into his coverage and has elite size and strength for the position. –Sam Monson, PFF
Both of these guys together can be pretty good, especially when you factor in that the pass rush has a decently high ceiling as well. The better the pass rush, the less time the cornerbacks have to cover.
The Buccaneers have been a pretty good defensive team the last few years, and I think we will see something similar in 2023, for a few different reasons, but a big one is because of these two guys.
Davis and Dean had the seventh-best forced incompletion percentage last season at 16%. Dean had the best average depth of target last season too, which only helps put things in perspective of just how good he was.
The Buccaneers have something great in those two for the 2023 season.
Featured Image Via Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
