Bucs cornerback Zyon McCollum has been at the heart of several defensive issues this year. After a promising 2024 season – and a significant, three-year, $48 million contract extension in August – McCollum has regressed considerably in 2025. His forced incompletion rate is down 3% from last year. His passer rating allowed is up 18 points. He’s being targeted more and allowing catches more frequently.

It’s not good.

And while I have noted some of his problems earlier this year, such as playing slower mentally and not driving on throws with conviction, there is increasingly one specific route that is giving him fits.

And it’s noticeable.

Zyon McCollum Is Struggling To Defend Slant Routes

In Week 13 against the Cardinals, Pro Football Focus had Zyon McCollum allowing five catches on seven targets for 47 yards. Next Gen Stats concurs. Two of those catches and 27 of those yards were on in-breaking slant routes.

If the Bucs’ outside corners next year are Zyon and B Mo, Michael Thomas might come outta retirement for two games a year. pic.twitter.com/glWfKgPinY

— Josh Queipo (@JoshQueipo_NFL) December 2, 2025

It goes beyond Week 13 though. Eleven of the 70 times he has been targeted this season have been via slant or short in-breaking routes. McCollum has allowed a catch on every one of those targets with a 10.3 yards per target allowed. At this point this season it’s as close to an automatic first down a team can get.

McCollum’s troubles against this type of routes are broken into two parts.

Zyon McCollum In Man Coverage

When Zyon McCollum is pressed up against receivers defending these routes is when he has his best chance to contest passes and disrupt routes. But his footwork is a mess, and he often gets caught hedging/leaning to the outside or gets caught in his backpedal. You can see it in the above clip. As soon as this happens it is over for McCollum. The receiver has created all the space he needs to present an easy target for a high probability catch plus some extra yards.

Bucs CB Zyon McCollum and HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Jeffrey Jones/PR

Zyon McCollum In Zone Coverage

Admittedly, it is more difficult to stop a shallow in-breaker from depth in zone. It requires supreme confidence from a corner to recognize the route quickly off the line and drive down on the route with a fast close. The goal is to arrive at the catch point at the same time as the ball to disrupt the pass or be so fast into the break that he dissuades the quarterback’s decision to make the throw at all.

But Zyon McCollum is lacking confidence as much as he is lacking anything else right now. He is in the right spot at in his zone assignments, but he is taking too long to identify the in-breaking stems and driving towards the ball. And when the ball is in the air, he has no clue where it is. All of this is leading to easy completions to get quick yards and crucial first downs.

Bucs CB Zyon McCollum – Photo by: Jeffrey Jones

The Bucs doubled down on a small Day 3 pick investment with a large contract. They were hoping to run more man coverage this year with an improved cornerback room. McCollum was supposed to be the leader of that room fresh off his new extension.

But 13 weeks into this season he has been anything but. His struggles against these slant routes are a microcosm of his larger struggles. He’s in his head and overthinking things when he’s not struggling to keep his technique proper.

If Tampa Bay’s defense is going to reach its potential McCollum will need to regain the confidence and form that helped him stand out at the beginning of last year.