With several investments in the secondary this offseason, the Bucs have proven that they were not entirely happy with the safety and cornerback position group last year.

Cornerback Carlton Davis III was traded to the Lions. Strong safety Ryan Neal was not re-signed. The team reunited with strong safety Jordan Whitehead and brought in competition for slot corner Christian Izien in the form of veteran Tavierre Thomas.

Of note Tampa Bay also brought in former Jets cornerback Bryce Hall.

The move is very intriguing to me. The price tag for Hall ($1.125 million over one year) screams backup depth. But I see more.

As high as the Bucs obviously are on Zyon McCollum, I can’t help but think that even the Bucs are sleeping on Hall’s probability to be one of the two best corners on the team this year.

Bryce Hall Is A Starter-Level Talent

The Jets got a steal in 2020 when they drafted Bryce Hall in the fifth round. He played eight games his rookie season, starting seven and played well at a position where rookies historically struggle. Hall was targeted just 13% of the time and allowed just over one yard per snap. Hall was extremely competitive and particularly excelled in zone coverage working primarily in deep thirds.

Was impressed with 5th-round rookie CB Bryce Hall for the Jets. First game as a whole starter and he is that which he was at Virginia: great in a vertical third, physical, a little limited on his transitions, wild competitive.

If he stays healthy, he’ll be a great value. pic.twitter.com/c2IphxMN9H

— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) November 24, 2020

“Great in vertical third…” Does that sound like a scheme you may have heard of?

Hall finished his rookie campaign with 36 tackles, three passes defensed and this interception.

Former #UVa cornerback Bryce Hall snags a nice interception for the Jets as they try to upset the Rams in Los Angeles. pic.twitter.com/wQp5SmUQp0

— John Shifflett (@John_Shifflett) December 20, 2020

Hall’s 79th percentile height and 78th percentile length were fully on display as he picked off Jared Goff.

2021

Bucs CB Bryce Hall – Photo by: USA Today

The following year Hall moved into the starting lineup and improved in several areas.

His catch rate allowed fell from 75% his rookie year to 59% during his sophomore campaign. Hall’s yards allowed per coverage rep. also dropped (from 1.01 to 0.96) and he broke up 16 passes.

It was probably not lost on Bucs general manager Jason Licht and head coach Todd Bowles that he also only missed three tackles in 71 attempts. He continued to excel in zone, allowing just 45 targets, 26 catches and 289 yards on 373 zone coverage snaps. That’s an impressive 12% target rate and 0.77 yards per coverage snap.

Robby Sando of Jets X Factor has an excellent breakdown of Hall from that season.

This is a tremendous recovery from Bryce Hall. Great instincts. #Jets defense is usually living extremely soft or hard, a lagged quarters (or another zone) or press/single-high (even Zero Blitz pre-snap). Here, third and 19, they go 3 Buzz, which means Hall is one-on-one. pic.twitter.com/flUN4kCto9

— Robby Sabo (@RobbySabo) October 5, 2021

A Reduced Role For Bryce Hall In 2023

Bucs CB Bryce Hall – Photo by: USA Today

Bryce Hall was poised to break out in 2022, but he fell out of favor with head coach Robert Saleh and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. They brought in someone they had familiarity with in former 49ers cornerback D.J. Reed. Hall barely saw the field in 2022, dressing for just five games and logging 15 total defensive snaps.

In 2023 he was pressed into action more. He played in nine games, starting two, and showing he could still play at an NFL level.

I watched both of his starts in 2023 (Week 5 against Denver and Week 6 against Philadelphia). Hall played at a very high level staying on top of routes, quickly changing direction as he adjusted within his zone to route combinations and playing a physical style of ball.

Bryce Hall (bottom of the screen) w/the quick hip flip to get to the flat option quickly. pic.twitter.com/IpxdGK3wH7

— Joshua Queipo (@josh_queipo) April 6, 2024

Competition In Training Camp?

The likelihood that the Bucs give Bryce Hall a chance to win the starting job from Zyon McCollum in training camp is probably low. The team is high on McCollum and didn’t give Hall a very big investment. But I hope they do.

Hall doesn’t have the physical gifts that McCollum has and therefore has a higher ceiling. But Hall’s floor is also higher and I really like his game. Time will tell, but the bottom line is that I really like this signing for Tampa Bay and McCollum needs to be ready to compete in training camp.