In the NFL, Cover 4 refers to a defensive coverage that aims to cover four deep zones on the field. Following that lead, I’m going to provide you with the same coverage of the Bucs – your favorite football team. Each Wednesday morning I’ll cover four areas as they apply to Tampa Bay: 1. a short film breakdown, 2. a finance angle, 3. a look forward at what’s to come, and 4. a bit of fun.

Film: Keionte Scott’s Preseason

The Bucs have to be pleased with the early viewings of fourth-round draft pick Keionte Scott. The former Miami Hurricane nickelback has impressed in preseason action, contributing in multiple facets to the team’s strong defensive showing.

Pro Football Focus credited him with four tackles and three defensive stops. Next Gen Stats tracked nine targets with him in coverage, with him allowing five catches for 53 yards over 51 snaps. Scott played screens and runs to the perimeter aggressively, executed his zone assignments well and held up overall in man coverage.

The man coverage reps were the most interesting to me. He was challenged deep twice, allowing one catch for 24 yards on a seam ball against Jacksonville.

On this rep Scott gets out of position thinking a quick out was coming, putting him in a position where he was playing catch-up through the back-half of the rep. But when he doesn’t get caught guessing wrong the results are more positive.

In the run game, despite his smaller frame, Scott plays like a natural box defender. He sheds blocks, fits gaps and gets involved as if he is a linebacker. This is a common theme for the nickel defenders the Bucs have found over the past several years and it appears it won’t stop with Scott.

Ted Nguyen of the Athletic put together a fantastic cutup on Scott.

The bottom line with the fourth-round rookie is that he has shown every trait one would want out of a modern nickel. And that has given the team the opportunity to move Jacob Parrish out of the slot to outside corner.

Finance: Termination Benefits

The Bucs seem to take a slightly different approach to building their final (but not really final) 53-man rosters than other teams. And some of that comes down to a little-discussed carve out in the NFL-NFL Players Association Collective Bargaining Agreement for termination pay. Article 30 provides a one-time benefit for players with at least four years of service who are on the 53-man roster for Week 1 of the season to receive the entirety of their base salary for the season.

For roster bubble players like Rakeem Nunez-Roches and Justin Skule that means if they stay on the roster through the team’s first game (even if they are inactive for the game) and are released later in the season, they can exercise their termination benefits and still collect the balance of the base salary for the season.

For many teams throughout the NFL, they try to avoid this rule with back-of-the-roster veterans, opting to release those players during final cutdowns, stashing the player on their practice squad for the first week of the season while also elevating the player for Week 1 so they are available to play, before signing them to the active roster in Week 2. This practice allows the team to avoid termination pay possibility and saving not only the potential cash payout, but also the cap charge.

Those teams don’t have to worry about those players getting claimed on waivers because veterans don’t pass through waivers, making it easier for teams to quickly get the player re-signed to the practice squad with a general understanding they will eventually return to the active roster. Players can take advantage of this rule just one time in their career, and for those who already have teams need not worry about playing the roster game with them.

To my knowledge neither Skule, nor Nunez-Roches have used their termination pay benefits to this point in their careers. So making the 53-man roster carries extra weight for both players.

Forecast: A Bucs Rookie Better Than Rueben Bain Jr.?

Now for the first time in Cover 4 history we are going to talk about a forecast that is not my own. On the most recent episode of the Rondé Barber Show, the Bucs Hall of Famer said something that was quite eye-opening.

To be clear, Barber is not saying he believes Trotter is/will be the best player from this Bucs rookie class. Similarly, it is not my forecast that he will be either. But after watching a whole summer of practices, and a limited slate of preseason games, Barber has been told by people inside the Bucs organization that they believe Trotter will be the best player from this class.

We at Pewter Report get the same sense from the team. And in case you forgot, this is the same rookie class that includes Rueben Bain Jr., who the Bucs were over the moon to select with the 15th overall pick.

This is incredibly high praise for a 21-year-old who had legitimate warts coming out of Missouri. Keep in mind Trotter was the third linebacker taken in the 2026 NFL Draft, following Sonny Styles to Washington in the first round and Jacob Rodriguez to Miami just a few spots before him in the second.

Trotter’s physical skills are impressive. And his early preseason work was encouraging. The Bucs have a long history of developing premier linebackers. Derrick Brooks and Lavonte David were each at or near the top of the league during their respective careers. It would appear general manager Jason Licht, head coach Todd Bowles and the rest of the organization believe they may be on to another one.

And if they are right, what timing to select Trotter in the draft just weeks after David announced his retirement.

Fun Fourth Down: Players Finding Out They Made The Team

Cutdown weekend is an emotionally wrought day for almost 1,200 players around the league. For many of these players it means, to some extent, the end of a dream that took hold close to two decades before. Close to half will have some renewal of that dream a few days later when they are offered the opportunity to join a practice squad, but for many this may be the end of the line. It can be an overwhelming event.

But for others, the emotions run in the other direction. The league is filled with plenty of overcoming the odds stories. And each year more of those stories get added to lore. For the Bucs, who have a knack for finding undrafted free agents who can play at the NFL level, another story was shared this past week. Cornerback Ayden Garnes made the 53-man roster after not hearing his name called in April’s NFL Draft.

Bucs CB Ayden Garnes – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Garnes had a strong preseason, recording 11 tackles, five defensive stops and an interception while only allowing 0.68 yards per coverage snap across Tampa Bay’s three preseason games. The team had depth concerns at cornerback, and he took full advantage of the opportunity to fill that need.

Fox Sports’ Greg Auman caught up with the young defensive back to find out what it was like to hear his hard work and strong tape had paid off with an NFL job.

Video: Bucs rookie corner Ayden Garnes was on his way into an Olive Garden on Sunday when he got word he’d made the cut with Tampa Bay. pic.twitter.com/uroHsrihNJ

— Greg Auman (@gregauman) September 1, 2026

Garnes acknowledged that for many of his teammates the day was not as special before detailing the moment from his own perspective.

As someone who went on his very first date at Olive Garden before Garnes was born, I can personally vouch for the electrifying feeling of celebrating a life milestone with endless breadsticks.

Solid choice, young man.