Buccaneers will send strong message to their secondary through the 2022 NFL Draft
The Buccaneers lost Jordan Whitehead to free agency, but the large majority of their secondary is still intact heading into 2022. If we are talking subpackages -which teams run around 60-70% of the time- then the Bucs return four of five starters in Carlton Davis III, Sean Murphy-Bunting, Jamel Dean, and Antoine Winfield Jr.. Mike […]
The Buccaneers lost Jordan Whitehead to free agency, but the large majority of their secondary is still intact heading into 2022.
If we are talking subpackages -which teams run around 60-70% of the time- then the Bucs return four of five starters in Carlton Davis III, Sean Murphy-Bunting, Jamel Dean, and Antoine Winfield Jr.. Mike Edwards, the presumed player to take Whitehead's spot, has played a vital backup role over the last three years, so it's not like the Buccaneers are inserting someone who has little to no experience into the lineup.
And, let's not forget the additions of Logan Ryan and Keanu Neal. Those two guys will go a long way toward replacing Whitehead.
In other words: the Buccaneers secondary is in good shape heading into 2022.
But there's a catch: Five of the seven of the aforementioned players will be without contracts in 2023. Winfield Jr. and Davis are the only ones with contracts beyond 2022. All of the depth players from, Ross Cockrell to Troy Warner, are on one-year deals or in the last year of their deals, too.
And to add to the situation, there are questions surrounding all five players and none are locks for new deals in 2023.
Can SMB finally find consistency? Can Dean stay healthy and is he capable of playing corner in a full-time role? Is Edwards the same player in a full-time role? How much does Ryan have left in the tank? Can Neal recapture the production/play he showed earlier in his career?
These circumstances could very well convince the Buccaneers to draft a defensive back early in the 2022 draft. And it would make sense. Having a young, promising DB on the roster would not only give the Bucs a potential cornerstone on defense, but it gives them insurance in case something goes wrong on the field (see last year). An added layer of competition never hurts, either.
It also gives them insurance in case something goes wrong in future contract negotiations. Most contract negotiations aren't the same, so it's unfair to assume a situation will play out like Whitehead's or David's. At the same time, however, the Buccaneers had two starting defensive backs enter free agency in 2022 and only one returned. If the Buccaneers couldn't re-sign both Whitehead and Davis, then it's probably safe to assume they won't return the five aforementioned players in 2023.
But what puts all of this on a somewhat-even keel is that all of these guys have literally showed they can be quality NFL players. Will that be enough to convince the Buccaneers to avoid taking a DB in the draft?
The Buccaneers will send a strong message to the secondary no matter what they choose to do in the draft. Drafting a defensive back early certain represents a plan for the future and it could even mean a plan for the present. If the Buccaneers decide to forgo drafting a DB then it shows they have confidence in both 2022 and the future, especially when considering how deep the draft is at corner, in particular.
Featured image via Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
