Bucs put one starting candidate on full blast in first 2026 depth chart
The Bucs’ depth chart has few surprises, but a message has been sent to one member of Tampa Bay’s secondary.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in preparations for their first preseason action of 2026, as they headed to New York/New Jersey on Sunday for a joint practice and Friday night game with the Jets.
With the first couple of weeks down in training camp, Todd Bowles and his staff have had the chance to evaluate the roster. And on Tuesday morning, the team put out their first unofficial depth chart of 2026.
The depth chart wasn’t overall shocking from top to bottom, and of course, this is just the first one of the preseason, so there is still a long way to go.
However, there were a couple of very notable decisions on there. CB Jacob Parrish got the nod over Benjamin Morrison at the boundary CB spot opposite Zyon McCollum. Rookie LB Josiah Trotter is also behind SirVocea Dennis to line up alongside Alex Anzalone.
Benjamin Morrison’s injury woes continue to put him behind the 8-ball
It’s notable but not a surprise to see Morrison behind Parrish. Morrison has been dealing with a hamstring injury that’s kept him out of team drills for a significant portion of training camp to date. It’s not the same hamstring that plagued him last year, so that’s perhaps even more concerning.
Parrish manned the Bucs’ nickel spot last season admirably as a rookie, but he’s trained at multiple spots, as Todd Bowles noted in the offseason, and he has the leg up to fill Jamel Dean’s old spot. The Bucs have an option at nickel to facilitate that move as well. Rookie Keionte Scott could end up being a legitimate option out of the gate there, as he’s had an impressive start to training camp.
Rookies have to earn their spot, and Josiah Trotter obviously still has time
Trotter has been one of the stories of camp, as his physicality and intensity has been center stage on the practice field. It’s early, but so far he looks the part of a potential future leader by example on the field.
But Dennis has the experience on the field and in Bowles’ system, so it’s logical he starts off as first team alongside Anzalone. That could certainly change if Trotter translates his preseason play to game situations — and I’m willing to be dollars to donuts that happens — but rookies have to earn their place on the roster from the start, and, well, that’s just where we are right now in the process.
And speaking of rookies, Rueben Bain, Jr. finds himself at starting OLB, but that’s a spot that he was drafted to fill from the jump, and he’s been as impressive as anyone this training camp regardless. So no surprise there.
We’ll find out if Trotter and the rest of the rookies can stake their claims early to significant roles on the Bucs’ roster starting on Friday night.
