As an undrafted rookie out of Appalachian State, all Tyrek Funderburk was looking for was an opportunity. After impressing with the Bucs throughout the offseason and being able to grasp the defense, Funderburk has stuck around and made the 53-man roster.

He has trusted the process to get here and has leaned on head coach Todd Bowles, who knows a thing or two about being an undrafted defensive back.

Todd Bowles Knew Tyrek Funderburk “Had A Damn Good Chance Of Making This Team”

Bucs CB Tyrek Funderburk – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

An underrated aspect of the Bucs’ roster construction over the past two seasons is the amount of undrafted players that have made the 53-man roster.

After four of them made it on the team last year, two more in wide receiver Kameron Johnson and cornerback Tyrek Funderburk made it this year. That is six out of 53, or 11.3% of the active roster comprised of young undrafted guys found in recent years.

Despite succumbing to a left foot injury toward the end of training camp, head coach Todd Bowles saw enough out of Funderburk to know that he was someone he wanted to keep around.

“It’s complicated, but if you have a skillset and you’ve shown something… For example, [Tyrek] Funderburk,” Bowles said on how injuries affected the team’s roster decisions. “We saw him in the spring, summer and early on when he came in – he’s a good football player. You knew right away that he had a damn good chance of making this team, so you weigh those type of things.

“It becomes more [about] versatility – how versatile can you be at the back end of the roster [with] special teams, this position, that position, [etc.] and it kind of comes down to that because when you get injuries during the season, you have a guy that can go in and play. So, that’s important for us.”

Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Rarely does Bowles speak that emphatically about a player, but the head coach lived a previous life in the NFL.

One where he was an undrafted defensive back himself.

Back in 1986, he made a talented then-Washington Redskins team that went 12-4 and had four interceptions the following season as they went on to win the Super Bowl in 1987. Bowles would play eight seasons in the league, an impressive feat for an undrafted player.

With that in mind, Funderburk realizes that he is someone to turn to for advice and mentorship.

“Well, if you don’t know, he was undrafted too,” Funderburk said. “He has a different perspective on undrafted guys. He’s been [in this business] on the field and off the field, so I just trust a lot of what he says, everything. He’s told me a lot of things about the game, about our defense. I’ve got nothing but all the reason to trust him.”

The Bucs Are Betting On Tyrek Funderburk

While Tyrek Funderburk is putting his trust in Todd Bowles and the Bucs, the team is also betting on him in a big way.

Despite being injured Tampa Bay chose to keep Funderburk on the roster as the fifth cornerback to avoid losing him.

General manager Jason Licht has helped build out a team that is poised for a big leap, and last week he detailed what it takes for an undrafted player like Funderburk to make the squad.

Bucs CB Tyrek Funderburk and assistant DBs coach Rashad Johnson – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“He’s very smart,” Licht said. “He has decent size. He’s got speed. He’s a physical player. He likes to tackle, and he just has natural instincts and patience when he’s out there in coverage on an island. It’s something that you either have or you don’t, and he’s got it. We saw a lot – [he’s] got great ball skills, as well, so we see a lot of upside with him.

“I don’t know if we’re going to throw him out – if Todd [Bowles]’s going to throw him out there – Week 1 or not, but we feel like he’s pretty close to us doing that. He’s been one of the more exciting players at that position [among] young players that we’ve had since I’ve been here.”

It is nice to get a ringing endorsement from the head coach, but it means even more when the key personnel decision-maker says that you “got it” and are one of the more exciting young Bucs defensive backs in the last decade that Licht has been around.

Funderburk discussed what it means to him.

“It says a lot about them,” Funderburk said. “The quality of men and women in this building. They care about players and obviously, they’re willing to take a bet on a guy like me and Kam [Johnson] – undrafted guys from small schools. It lets me know that they see something in us, regardless of what may have happened during camp. We were both hurt at one point, so that says a lot about them [and] about the quality of people that they are.”

Tyrek Funderburk is not only grateful for the organization as a whole but the three veterans in the cornerback room who have been helpful to him in picking up the defense and getting him up to game speed before Week 1.

Coincidentally, it comes against the Washington Commanders, where Todd Bowles began his playing career as an undrafted rookie.

“Zyon McCollum, Bryce Hall [and] Jamel Dean,” Funderburk said. “Those are the three guys that I’ve honestly looked up to the most since I’ve been here. Obviously, those guys are veterans, so [I’m] just learning from them, seeing the things they’ve done on the film, and learning from their mistakes. They’re extremely helpful. It’s been super beneficial for me.”