Welcome to the good, the bad, and the brilliant. In this series, we will break down what a good, bad, and brilliant season would look like for different facets of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ organization. The Buccaneers’ pass defense a season ago was horrendous. Tampa was, as they have always been under Todd Bowles, good against the run. Against the pass, team’s feasted on Bucs’ defenders all season long. What was the cause? How Can Tampa avoid a repeat performance? What would make 2025 a good season for Tampa’s secondary? What’s a bad season look like? How can Tampa’s back end be brilliant? Introducing the good, the bad, and the brilliant: The Buccaneers’ secondary.

Tampa Bay’s secondary: The Good

The Buccaneers’ defense struggled last year against in pass defense. Todd Bowles’ unit was exposed to the tune of 4,464 yards (third-worst in the league). They didn’t counteract that high yardage total with turnovers either— 7 interceptions, tied for fourth fewest in the league. Most of last season, the Buccaneers’ secondary was second-teamers. Tampa Bay had a grocery list of injuries last year and the injury bug was as contagious in the secondary as anywhere. Whether it was Jamel Dean, Bryce Hall, Antoine Winfield Jr., or Jordan Whitehead (a reunited safety tandem Buccaneers’ fans expected a lot of who barely touched the field together), the Bucs’ defensive backs were a position group that lacked depth before the start of last season and the team’s injuries exposed that lack of depth. As the 2025 football world teeters on the brink of game one, Tampa’s secondary has significantly more depth.

Depth, especially at the cornerback position, was a point of emphasis for Jason Licht during the NFL offseason. Licht drafted Jacob Parrish and Benjamin Morrison. He also went out and added Kindle Vildor, while re-signing Bryce Hall. The added depth at corner also translated to additional depth at safety as the team transitioned two players who have been safeties masquerading as part-time corners into roles that suit them better— Both Tykee Smith and Christian Izien have moved to safety for the 2025 season. Tampa Bay hasn’t gotten a full season’s worth of games out of Jamel Dean since he’s been drafted and over the last three seasons his games played have dropped each year. With Dean likely to miss time, other’s will need to step in and step up. Tampa Bay’s offseason plan has left them in a position of strength where they should be prepared.

Injuries cannot be avoided entirely— Some are to be expected, however, players cannot be brought up from the bottom of the depth chart as consistent starters for the second year in a row. The group has the talent, that talent just has to play. A good season for the Buccaneers’ defensive backs is to simply play— Be on the filed and the rest will take care of itself.

Tampa Bay’s secondary: The Bad

Yin and Yang are at work when it comes to a good or bad season for Tampa Bay’s defensive backs. The team has talented players in their secondary, but the old cliché of availability being the best ability rings as loudly as church bells for Tampa Bay’s back end. The group has all that it could need to be successful, they just must maintain their health and availability for the defense. A bad season for the Buccaneers’ secondary is another season that features players filling starting roles who were never slated to be in those positions.

Tampa Bay’s secondary: The Brilliant

The Buccaneers truly made a concerted offseason-effort to address and fix an issue that plagued their team last year— Pass defense. Plenty of on-lookers anticipated the rectification of those problems would hinge on the team adding pass-rushers. Jason Licht and co. viewed adding bodies to their ailing secondary as the cure. The debate over which helps your pass defense more, pass-rush versus pass coverage is really the chicken or the egg. Tampa Bay’s secondary, at times last year, did genuinely feel like they were just running out of bodies and adding a pile of talented players will certainly help the group reach ‘good’ status, but brilliance will be a step further.

For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ secondary to be brilliant in 2025, Antoine Winfield Jr. needs to play like the Antoine Winfield Jr. of 2023— Jamel Dean, like the Jamel Dean of 2022. Zyon McCollum told fans he was gunning for interceptions last season. He set the bar at 6, a number he did not reach. 2025 is a new season and a new chance to achieve that goal. The Buccaneers have the all the ability they need, it comes down to execution and the group’s ability to put it all together in unison. Can all the different aspects of the unit come together and play their best simultaneously? Brilliance is the group at it’s best, no new pieces needed, just the current ones on the field and performing.

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