When the Bucs went through their offseason without adding an additional cornerback to the roster through the draft or free agency, depth at the position began to look like a significant question mark for Tampa Bay.

Carlton Davis, Sean Murphy-Bunting and Jamel Dean have presumably locked up Tampa Bay’s top three cornerback spots, but with the release of M.J. Stewart earlier in camp, veteran Ryan Smith was the lone cornerback remaining with a seemingly solidified spot on the Bucs’ roster. Smith’s value comes far more as a gunner on special teams than in coverage, so depth remained a significant question mark heading into camp.

Back in May, after Tampa Bay signed undrafted free agent Parnell Motley out of Oklahoma, PewterReport’s Jon Ledyard wrote about the potential for him to swoop in and snag Tampa Bay’s fifth cornerback spot in camp, and Motley has done his best thus far to live up to that prediction.

“Keep making the plays every single day, he’s going to get a job,” Arians said about Motley following Monday’s practice.

Motley has already come away with a number of interceptions in camp, including two more on Monday. One of his interceptions on the day came in one of the Bucs’ 11-on-11 periods where he raced down the sidelines, sticking with second-year speedster Scotty Miller stride-for-stride before hauling in the interception from quarterback Tom Brady.

On the last play of the day, Motley came away with another pick off of Blaine Gabbert.

“Motley for sure, he didn’t drop any,” Arians added when asked about what has stuck out from his young cornerback group. “When they throw it around him he catches it.”

In his four-year career at Oklahoma, Motley totaled six interceptions and 33 pass breakups in coverage. In a stellar senior season, he brought in just one of those interceptions, but racked up a career-high 13 pass breakups and five forced fumbles. His experience in press-man coverage also affords him a relative sense of comfort stepping into defensive coordinator Todd Bowles’ system.

“The best player on the Sooners’ defense wasn’t their star linebacker nor even their stout defensive tackle,” Pro Football Focus’ Cam Mellor said. “Rather, it was their lockdown cornerback in Motley, who allowed just 43.4 percent of the passes thrown his way to be caught. He was heavily tested, seeing 53 targets come his way, and although he didn’t have the interception totals of other cornerbacks this year, he truly did limit big plays. In fact, the longest reception Motley allowed this year was a mere 37 yards, and he gave up only two other receptions longer than 20 yards. He was routinely tasked with following the opposing team’s No. 1 receiver, and he locked them down in the process.”

Despite a strong showing in 2019, Motley wasn’t given an invite to the NFL Combine, but ran a 4.53 40-yard dash at his pro day. Despite a less-than-stellar 40 and a slender frame at just 6-0, 180 pounds, Motley uses his toughness, instincts and pro-ready technique to make up for his physical limitations.

“He’s got good natural instincts as a corner,” Carlton Davis said on Monday. “Good feet, good feel for the position. I watched him actually in college football the last two years and thought highly of him. It was surprising to me that he went undrafted, as you can see he’s a really good football player.”

But despite his strong play on defense throughout camp, his play on special teams will dictate his ability to land on the Bucs’ active roster come Week 1.

“Is he going to start?” Arians asked rhetorically in his post-practice press conference on Monday. “If he’s not starting then special teams takes precedent, it’s as simple as that. If you’re a backup, you may be the second-best corner, but [if] the third-best is a good special teams player, he’s going to take your job.”

All-in-all it’s been a fantastic start to training camp for the young defensive back to this point and barring any surprises, he seems to be on the fast track for a spot as the Bucs’ fifth cornerback come game day.

“First of all, kudos to our scouting department for bringing him in,” cornerbacks coach Kevin Ross said about Motley. “He’s done a hell of a job, he’s got his hands on balls pretty much every day. He’s very coachable, cat-quick out of his breaks. You’ve still got to see him in game situations though, you don’t want to get too high on him and everything but he’s doing what he needs to right now, he’s practicing the right way. I’m pleased with him, he’s a pleasant surprise for us.”