If the Bucs have one glaring position that could still use some attention following the 2026 NFL Draft, it’s cornerback.

Tampa Bay drafted only one defensive back last month, selecting Miami’s Keionte Scott in the fourth round. Scott can play the nickel cornerback spot, which would potentially give the Bucs some flexibility and allow second-year corner Jacob Parrish to fully compete with fellow second-year corner Benjamin Morrison for a spot on the outside opposite Zyon McCollum.

Bucs CBs Benjamin Morrison and Zyon McCollum – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

However the starting group works out – whether it’s McCollum and Morrison with Parrish staying at nickel or it’s McCollum and Parrish with Parrish kicking inside when needed and Morrison stepping in outside – the Bucs still need some depth at the cornerback position. They signed veterans Kemon Hall and Chase Lucas as potential depth options earlier this offseason, and Josh Hayes and Damarion Williams are in the building as well.

But the feeling has remained that the Bucs could and should sign another veteran cornerback ahead of the 2026 season. Speaking of which?

Are The Bucs In On Veteran CB Rasul Douglas?

Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds wrote in an April’s SR’s Fab 5 that the Bucs are keeping tabs on veterans Martin Emerson Jr. and Rasul Douglas, with both being potential options at cornerback following the draft.

Emerson has since signed with the Saints, but what about Douglas? There was some more smoke on him as a potential addition to Tampa Bay’s cornerback room earlier this week, though there are other teams in the mix for his services.

Packer Report’s Easton Butler said Wednesday that he recently spoke with Douglas, who spent 2021-2023 in Green Bay. The 30-year-old veteran didn’t give any clarity to his situation for the 2026 season, staying mum on the teams he and his representation may be speaking with. But Butler also reported that he was told the Packers, Bucs, Bills and Commanders are the teams talking with the 6-foot-2, 209-pound corner.

Douglas just played on a one-year deal with the Dolphins that was worth around $1.5 million. During his lone year with Miami, he played to a 72.7 overall grade from PFF, with a 72.6 coverage grade, an 82.0 pass rush grade and a 61.8 run defense mark. He played in 15 games with 13 starts, finishing the season with 62 tackles (37 solo), a sack, two tackles for loss, a forced fumble, two interceptions and 13 passes defensed.

So, Douglas can still play at a high level and would bring a great deal of experience to a young cornerback room in Tampa Bay, having played 135 games (93 starts) over his nine-year NFL career thus far, which has featured stints with the Eagles, Panthers, Packers, Bills and Dolphins.

Former Packers CB Rasul Douglas – Photo by: USA Today

Surely the Bucs would love to add Douglas to the mix, especially after losing Jamel Dean in free agency this offseason. But there are a couple of hangups that could keep this from coming to fruition as a much-needed addition for Tampa Bay.

On the one hand, there’s the money. The Bucs could presumably make it work, but they’d likely only go so high for a depth piece, right?

Perhaps the bigger limiting factor would be the role that Tampa Bay has available for a player like Douglas. If he’s looking for a starting role, that’s not going to come in red and pewter given the premium picks the team spent on Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish last year. And will a guy like Douglas, who has 93 career starts and 28 over the last two seasons, play as a backup? It’s hard to envision that.

And what’s even harder to envision is Douglas playing a special teams role, which you would typically expect out of a depth cornerback. He has played only 19 special teams snaps over the last two seasons.

What’s likely the only way this works is if Rasul Douglas is stepping in as a one-for-one replacement for Jamel Dean. Last year, Dean and Zyon McCollum were the Bucs’ starting corners, with Morrison as the No. 3 and Parrish at nickel. Then again, with Morrison’s injury history, perhaps Douglas will see a path to the field in a starting role in Tampa.

Time will tell though, right? Stay tuned.