The Tampa Bay Buccaneers addressed several roster needs this offseason, adding quality starters and impact players across the board. Jason Licht and Todd Bowles also did a strong job solidifying depth at multiple positions.

Two position groups, however, still look a little shaky on paper heading into the summer: cornerback and safety. The good news is there’s a viable free agent solution that can kill both birds with one stone in Rasul Douglas.

Rasul Douglas is the perfect free agent addition ahead of Buccaneers training camp

Before we dive into why Douglas makes sense as a player, it’s important to understand why he’s desired in the first place.

The Buccaneers’ cornerback room looks fine on the surface, but Benjamin Morrison’s health concerns could disrupt plans quickly. After missing seven games (mostly due to hamstring issues) in 2025, Morrison is dealing with yet another hamstring injury, one that caused him to miss mandatory minicamp. Whether he’ll be ready by the time training camp rolls around remains unclear, but after last year’s struggles to stay on the field, it feels like Tampa Bay is always waiting for the other shoe to drop when it comes to Morrison’s availability.

On the safety side of the conversation, the concern is equally injury-driven. J.J. Roberts and Miles Killebrew are two encouraging depth pieces, and Killebrew is an outstanding special teams contributor. Both are coming off serious knee injuries from last season, though, and neither has practiced all offseason with the Buccaneers. While both players hold potential, there’s no way to know what their floor will be as they continue recovering from last year’s setback.

All of the above is why Douglas is an enticing option and potential solution. Douglas’ play last season was, in a word, excellent. The wily veteran didn’t sign on with the Miami Dolphins until the end of training camp yet he was pressed into playing time almost immediately after a Week 1 injury. Douglas’ experience shined quickly with good leverage on his zone assignments, effective disruption when Miami wanted to press, and a consistent presence as a support player on the perimeter.

Is he someone you’d leave on an island and ask to run vertically down the field without a safety at this stage of his career? Probably not. Does he have the quick twitch ability to undercut and jump throws for interceptions? It seemed he was half a step off. But if you want a high floor, high IQ starter who won’t give up explosives and will make the plays that come to him, Douglas is a guy worth signing.

Douglas’ versatility is also a very attractive factor. He can play corner on the outside, move inside when needed, and even slide back to safety in a pinch. And while he hasn’t played a lot of special teams over the last couple of years, he has nearly 900 special teams snaps over the course of his career.

That kind of all-around flexibility gives the Buccaneers a reliable veteran option who can fill gaps across the secondary while younger players work their way back to health. It also gives Douglas a legitimate path to compete with Morrison for that outside cornerback job.

Buccaneers are counting on Morrison in 2026, so they need a legit backup plan

Jacob Parrish told reporters during OTAs that he’s moving inside when the Buccaneers deploy their nickel packages, which leaves the assumption Morrison is on the outside. That’s a big deal, as the Buccaneers run nickel around 60-65% of the time. So, obviously, the ideal plan is for Morrison to be on the field for that kind of duration. Which, in essence, is a starting job.

Given Morrison’s injury history, banking on that level of availability without a quality backup plan would be reckless. Adding Douglas would give the Buccaneers insurance at multiple positions and a proven competitor who can step in immediately if Morrison misses time. It makes sense from every angle, and the cost of a veteran like Douglas at this stage of the offseason should be manageable for a team that has already done the heavy lifting in free agency and the draft.

The Buccaneers got an up-close taste of what Douglas can do last year in Week 17. The veteran corner held Mike Evans catchless on three targets and allowed Jalen McMillan to snag two passes for 35 yards on three targets, per PFF. The two catches for 35 yards on six targets is all Douglas gave up throughout the entirety of that matchup.

It just makes way too much sense to sit idly by and watch Douglas sign with another team. The Buccaneers need to jump on this opportunity before someone else does.