Bucs Signing Very Familiar CB To The Practice Squad

When it comes to the Bucs’ practice squad, the team filled it out by mostly bringing back players let go on roster cutdown day. With every team having to go from 90 to 53 players, there were bound to be some familiar faces who were waived that Tampa Bay could sign.

They did just that, as it was reported on Monday evening that they are bringing back cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting to the practice squad, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Sean Murphy-Bunting Is The Kind Of CB Depth Bucs Have Been Looking For

Back in April before the 2026 NFL Draft, Bucs general manager Jason Licht alluded to all the avenues the team could take to address the cornerback position.

“We have the draft and there’s always players that get released after the draft or all the way into final cuts,” Licht said at the time. “We feel like there’s a lot of different avenues where we can look to add and supplement to that position.”

Four and a half months later, Tampa Bay finally made the kind of move that brings in solid depth to the cornerback room. While undrafted free agent Ayden Garnes has been very impressive throughout the summer, adding another player like Sean Murphy-Bunting has been much-discussed.

Murphy-Bunting returns to the organization after Licht drafted him in the second round back in 2019. That was the same year that the team added cornerback Jamel Dean and safety Mike Edwards to form much of the young secondary that would win a Super Bowl the following season. “SMB” was a critical part of that playoff run playing in Todd Bowles’ defense, as he started in every game and had an interception in the first three playoff games.

Murphy-Bunting would spend a total of four seasons with the Bucs from 2019-2022, playing in 53 regular-season games (36 starts). He recorded 188 tackles, 21 pass defenses, six interceptions, four forced fumbles, and a sack.

With Carlton Davis III and Dean serving as the starters in 2022, he moved on in search of a starting job in 2023. Murphy-Bunting signed a one-year deal with the Titans, starting 14 games and recording 57 tackles, eight passes defensed, and two interceptions. He parlayed that into a long-term deal with the Cardinals the next offseason, inking a three-year, $25.5 million contract. He started 15 games in 2024, tying a career-high with three interceptions along with having 52 tackles. It was a solid year for him, but also the last time he has suited up.

Bucs CB Sean Murphy-Bunting and S Antoine Winfield Jr. – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The 29-year-old suffered a season-ending ACL tear, forcing him to miss the entire 2025 season. Murphy-Bunting has since recovered and looking to bounce back, and he will be doing that in familiar stomping grounds. Bowles will like the fact he has a cornerback who is familiar with his system and can get up to speed quickly. For now, that will happen on the practice squad, as the team kept five corners on the 53-man roster.

There are still some question marks about how productive the room can be in 2026 with Zyon McCollum leading the way. The organization is high on Jacob Parrish, who has impressed throughout training camp and won the No. 2 cornerback job. Benjamin Morrison played in the last preseason game and for now serves as the third corner in the room, although he has significant injury concerns. Garnes and fourth-round pick Keionte Scott round out the room, but both rookies lack NFL experience despite how promising each has looked.

That is where Sean Murphy-Bunting comes in.

Murphy-Bunting brings a veteran presence with more upside that what offseason additions Chase Lucas and Kemon Hall offered. It will be worth monitoring how SMB looks, but Todd Bowles now has the kind of cornerback depth he has been looking for.