A new Pewter Report Roundtable debuts every Tuesday on PewterReport.com. Each week, the Pewter Reporters tackle another tough Bucs question. This week’s prompt: Which Bucs defender must exceed expectations in 2026?
Scott Reynolds: It’s Time For Zyon McCollum To Step Up Big Time In 2026
The Bucs believe in cornerback Zyon McCollum – and I mean really believe in him. Not only did the team give McCollum a lucrative three-year deal worth $48 million last August. That contract averages $16 million per season and was given to him without McCollum even playing out his contract year. Then the team restructured his deal, which now includes a pair of void years through 2030. Given the fact that Tampa Bay would have a $24.7 million dead cap hit if the Bucs released him now and a $19.8 million dead cap if he was released next year, McCollum is all but guaranteed to be on the roster through 2027.
But after a disappointing season in 2025, the Bucs need McCollum to step up and play to his vast athletic potential – now. Tampa Bay can’t simply afford to have a high-priced cornerback underachieve for two or three straight seasons. The Bucs thought they were getting McCollum for a bargain when they signed him to an early extension, but after just one interception and surrendering a career-high five touchdowns last year, did Tampa Bay actually overpay?
Bucs CBs coach Rashad Johnson and CB Zyon McCollum – Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
McCollum did deal with an early-season thumb injury and then later missed the last three games due to a hip injury. But in the 12 games he played in, McCollum only had four games with a coverage grade above a 63, according to Pro Football Focus, and had five with a coverage grade below a 50.
Todd Bowles is a big believer in McCollum and calls him the most athletic cornerback in the league. That’s fine, but the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine was five years ago. It’s time for McCollum to become more of a student of the game and hone his instincts. He needs to become a full-fledged football player and raise his football I.Q. in the film room, then stop playing passive, stop guessing and stop getting bored on the field. Perhaps new cornerbacks coach Rashad Johnson can bring that out in him and hopefully we’ll see the best version of McCollum in 2026. It’s certainly past due.
Matt Matera: Bucs Have To Dominate Trenches With Calijah Kancey Leading The Way
Take a look at how the Bucs defensive line plays with Calijah Kancey – and without him. There has never been a question about Kancey’s performance, but rather his durability. When he is in the starting lineup he takes Tampa Bay’s defense to the next level. His pass rushing ability as a defensive tackle brings such a value to the interior of Tampa Bay’s defensive line. With all of the struggles that the Buccaneers have had generating a pass rush on the outside it’s been Kancey and Vita Vea that have gotten the job done on the inside.
Bucs DT Calijah Kancey – Photo by: Jeffrey Jones/PR
It was just two seasons ago that Kancey led the team with 7.5 sacks. That’s difficult to accomplish as a defensive tackle, and yet he did that as a second-year player. When playing, Kancey’s play elevates others around him. His ability to penetrate the line of scrimmage and get to the quarterback quickly makes the job easier for those in the second and third levels. Given the struggles on the defensive side of the ball, Kancey playing a majority of the season can mask a lot of the issues and get the Bucs back to finding success.
The problem has been that Kancey, who missed 14 games last year, can’t be relied on to stay readily available. This is why it’s so important that he plays most of the 2026 season and gets back to being a dominant pass rusher. The Bucs were undefeated when Kancey was able to play last year. They began the season 2-0 and then won the season finale when Kancey returned. If Kancey is playing, the Bucs are winning.
Adam Slivon: Antoine Winfield Jr. Must Show He Is Bucs Best Defender
It was not that long ago that Antoine Winfield Jr. was in the conversation as the best safety in the NFL. Everyone remembers his otherworldly 2023 season, when he recorded 122 tackles, six sacks, six forced fumbles, and three interceptions. That stat line is crazy to look upon in retrospect, but it is looking more and more like an outlier. When preceded and succeeded that magical season has showcased he is a good safety. The problem? He was paid to be great.
Bucs S Antoine Winfield Jr. – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
That is what makes Winfield’s past two seasons all the more frustrating. Injuries forced him to miss eight games in 2024, a year in which he did not look like the same player. He played all 17 games in 2025, and while he amassed 93 tackles, his playmaking dried up with only two interceptions, a sack, and a forced fumble. With how Tykee Smith ascended in his second season, it is reaching a point where he could soon surpass Winfield as the best safety on the roster.
It can be argued that Winfield was the defining factor in the Bucs making the playoffs in 2023. At his best, he can affect the outcomes of games with a key takeaway or sack. For Tampa Bay’s defense to rebound, it has to start with Winfield proving that he is worthy of being the highest-paid defender on the team. It will do him and the rest of the secondary favors if the pass rush gets home and the linebackers can hold their own in coverage. At the end of the day though, with the 27-year-old in the prime of his career, he has to shoulder the responsibility of carrying the unit and being the defense’s franchise player.
Bailey Adams: Benjamin Morrison Needs To Erase All Doubts About Him
Right or wrong, it feels like expectations for second-year cornerback Benjamin Morrison are pretty low heading into 2026. So, in theory, it shouldn’t be difficult for him to exceed those expectations. But it’d be extremely important to the success of the Bucs defense if the 2025 second-round pick could put his injury-plagued rookie season behind him, hit the ground running and become the impact player the team drafted him to be.
Morrison’s rookie season never really got started. He dealt with a hamstring injury during the summer that limited his chances to develop, and he continued to be hampered by injuries throughout the season. And even when he was on the field as a rookie, it was rarely pretty. In other words, it was a rookie season to forget for the former Notre Dame star.
Bucs CB Benjamin Morrison – Photo by: IMAGN Images
But now, the Bucs need him to stay healthy and be better in 2026. Jamel Dean left in free agency, so Morrison is no longer a depth/rotational cornerback. He’s ultimately supposed to be a starter on the other side of Zyon McCollum. Jacob Parrish will get a chance to take reps on the outside, too, but in an ideal world for Tampa Bay, Morrison steps up on the outside and Parrish remains a stud at nickel. And if you asked anyone right now, they’d have some trepidation about Morrison as a starter on the outside. It’s up to him to flip that narrative.
Expectations aren’t sky high for Morrison right now. But whatever they are, it’s essential that he exceeds them and both stays healthy and becomes a serviceable starter in 2026. In many ways, the success of Todd Bowles’ defense depends on it.
Josh Queipo: Imagine Yaya Diaby As An Alpha Edge
The Bucs have been trying to find an “Alpha” edge to elevate the rest of the pass rush since Shaq Barrett was at the height of his powers. But they have struck out on Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and Haason Reddick. This offseason Jason Licht kicked the tires on Trey Hendrickson to fill that void. But what if they had the guy on the roster all along? Many pass rushers don’t fully round out until year four or five. A recent example can be found in Josh Sweat, who didn’t hit double digit sacks until his fifth season.
Bucs OLB Yaya Diaby and NT Vita Vea – Photo by: USA Today
Diaby has been near the top of the NFL in pressures for the past two seasons. He took a step forward from 2024 to 2025, jumping from 4.5 to 7 sacks. Another jump like that as a finisher, while maintaining his excellent consistency as a pressure player and the Bucs may have the force multiplier they have been searching for the past half-decade.
If Diaby can ascend to that level, it unlocks the rest of the front four. That in turn takes pressure (pun intended) off the back seven and elevates the rest of the defense. Diaby’s quick get-off, now complete with an ability to bring down the quarterback helps Al-Quadin Muhammad clean up sacks like he did last year on the other side. It allows the likely draft edition to not have to be “the guy” from day one. And it aids Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey pushing from the middle. Diaby could be the unlock this team needs.