Few – if any – Bucs defenders have more riding on training camp than Zyon McCollum. Entrusted with the role of Tampa Bay’s No. 1 cornerback, McCollum must prove he can handle that responsibility. Through the first week of camp, he has done exactly that.

That began with the statement he made during the opening practice, and his work throughout the first week drew praise from head coach Todd Bowles.

Zyon McCollum Got Payback On Emeka Egbuka With First Day Interception

Heading into training camp, something was on Zyon McCollum’s mind.

During Bucs OTAs, wide receiver Emeka Egbuka caught a ball on him that McCollum wished he had back.

Well, during the first day of camp, he exacted payback on Egbuka and quarterback Baker Mayfield by making a contested interception. Those flashes of shutdown-corner play are exactly what the team needs to see from McCollum. In a one-on-one interview with Pewter Report after Wednesday’s practice, he discussed what it meant for him starting off the summer with a hot start.

“It always feels good as a corner intercepting the ball,” McCollum said. “It’s something that I try to harp on in the offseason. A lot of JUGS work. He actually caught that pass on me in OTAs, so it’s been in my mind the entire break, and I saw it, I broke on it and got it.”

There is a lot of disappointment internally and externally about how the 2025 season went for the Bucs. Among players, McCollum has had to sit with that much longer than Egbuka’s catch on him during the spring. Coming into last season with high hopes, it was a year where he failed to take the next step and regressed from his 2024 level of play. His poor showing against Rams wide receiver Davante Adams stands out, but it was a year where he did not hold up as well in coverage and failed to make many plays on the football.

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

Recognizing he is entering his fifth season and filling more of a veteran role, McCollum is not putting the weight of the world on his shoulders. He knows it is his time to become the guy he has envisioned himself being for quite a while.

“I don’t put too much pressure on myself, but it’s that time,” McCollum said. “It’s time to make a jump, it’s time to turn into that player that I talk about in previous years. A lot of these young guys, I tell them, ‘Don’t put any pressure on yourself, either.’ We are one unit, and we’re going to grow day-by-day. We can have a good day, we can have a bad day, you’re only judged by your performance in the now. Great play today, tomorrow it doesn’t matter. We got to keep making plays.”

Bucs CBs Zyon McCollum and Keionte Scott – Photo by Cliff Welch P/R

Todd Bowles has long talked about McCollum’s play. It is clear he has high expectations from him, and he has pushed him publicly in recent offseasons to hone his craft. When it comes to his goals, McCollum does not want to play it safe to reach them.

“Nothing specific, just really, really harping on technique and just getting better day by day,” McCollum said. “I feel like in previous years I’ve had times to where it’s like, you kind of play it safe in practice. I’m at the point in my career to where I don’t have anything to prove to anybody but myself. So, I’m going to go out here and make chances, and we’ll see what happens.”

What Is Bucs HC Todd Bowles Saying About Zyon McCollum Now?

Todd Bowles has noticed Zyon McCollum’s progress, too.

“Just working on little things for Zyon as far as reading the hip, moving his feet and press coverage, understanding when he can get picked and when he can’t get picked,” Bowles said. “It’s more of the tiny mental things that he’s been working on day-by-day and not really trying to do the bigger things. He understands the picture, but he’s expanding his game to see where all his help is around him, so he knows exactly what he’s doing.”

Bucs CB Zyon McCollum and head coach Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

It is encouraging to hear this statement, although the old adage of “actions speak louder than words” comes to mind. For McCollum, it has never been about what he physically cannot do, as he can do it all from an athletic standpoint. While that has made his delayed ascension frustrating at times, Bowles still believes he can unlock his abilities by starting small and building up his mental foundation.

From there, the bigger moments should come easier to him.

McCollum is heeding Bowles’ guidance, and he shared that his message has been loud and clear to him and the rest of the Bucs team.

“He was not expecting everybody to put everything together on day one,” McCollum said. “He has just been preaching getting better from day to day – focusing on the present moment, focusing on the now, and just finding one thing every day to get better at. By the end of the training camp we’ll be where we have to be at.

“We’re not starting over though – OTAs was a big moment for us to continue to come together as a team, build our camaraderie, and we have to take that momentum so that by the time we’re going into the preseason, we’re firing on all cylinders.”

If Zyon McCollum continues stacking practices like he has during the first week of camp, the Bucs may have the shutdown corner they have been waiting for. Considering the expectations attached to McCollum’s new role, that could be one of Tampa Bay’s biggest training camp developments.