Bucs CB Benjamin Morrison – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

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INTRO: The Bucs kick off their 2026 preseason on Friday night against the Jets on the road. Cornerback Benjamin Morrison, last year’s second-round pick, won’t play – and has yet to play in any preseason games dating back to last year due to hamstring injuries. What’s the latest on Morrison? I’ve got some news to share.

Also, there have been standouts and disappointments in Bucs camp. But there have also been some key players who have had very quiet camps too. I discuss those players too as SR’s FAB 5 returns in time for the preseason. Enjoy!

FAB 1. The Curious Case Of Benjamin Morrison

When the Bucs take the field on Friday night against the Jets in the 2026 preseason opener, cornerback Benjamin Morrison will be on the sidelines.

Again.

Morrison is expected to miss his fourth preseason game in Tampa Bay since the team drafted him with the team’s second-round pick in 2025. During his rookie season, Morrison missed the final day of the mandatory mini-camp with a hamstring injury and then later reinjured his hamstring in training camp, causing him to miss all three preseason games and a month’s worth of practices, leaving him woefully behind in terms of experience.

Then a quad injury kept him out of the season opener at Atlanta. The Notre Dame product finally made his NFL debut in Week 2 but suffered another hamstring injury in a Week 3 against the Jets. Morrison returned to action the next week versus the Eagles before sitting out Weeks 5-6 with a lingering hamstring injury.

Bucs CBs coach Rashad Johnson and CBs Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

After playing in four consecutive games, Morrison’s hamstring injury flared up again, causing him to miss four games and a month’s worth of action before playing in the final three games of the season. In all, Morrison missed seven games and played in 10 during his rookie campaign with three starts.

Morrison, who had corrective surgery to repair a hip labrum tear during his junior season at Notre Dame like he had on the other hip in high school, might be damaged goods, which is unfortunate to both the player and the team. The Bucs were counting on his ballhawking ability to help the secondary as a possible starter this season replacing Jamel Dean.

Instead, it will be Jacob Parrish, last year’s third-round pick, who will start opposite Zyon McCollum this year. Parrish started all 17 games last year, mostly at nickelback, but also a few games outside, which is where he primarily played at Kansas State.

Some Bucs fans thought I was crazy to suggest that the best training camp battle this year was going to be between rookie Jalon Daniels and Connor Bazelak for the third-string QB job instead of Morrison versus Parrish for the CB2 spot on the depth chart. I knew from the moment Morrison reinjured his hamstring during the last week of OTA practices, which caused him to miss the mandatory mini-camp, that Parrish was going to be the clear winner.

In order to win a training camp battle, you actually have to show up. And so far Morrison has been a no-show, missing about half of the training camp’s training camp practices. And the other practices Morrison has participated in have been just individual drills with zero snaps on defense in 11-on-11 periods – and not even on special teams.

All Parrish had to do to win the CB2 role is show up because the more important ability in the NFL is availability. It doesn’t hurt that Parrish has played very well, too.

Bucs CBs Benjamin Morrison, Josh Hayes, Pepe Williams and Keionte Scott – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

When the Bucs released their first official depth chart on Tuesday in advance of the team’s preseason opener against the Jets, Morrison was listed as a second-team cornerback behind McCollum and Parrish, which is laughable. The NFL is the ultimate “what have you done for me lately?” league and undrafted free agent cornerback Ayden Garnes and last year’s practice squader Damarion “Pepe” Williams have both opened some eyes with sticky coverage and regularly making plays on the ball.

And they’ve managed to avoid injuries.

With Morrison missing so much time in camp and not even playing defense since the OTAs in early June, if I’m Todd Bowles, I’m not putting him out there on the field with full confidence. Instead, I’m trusting players like Garnes, Williams and even rookie Keionte Scott, who has flashed in camp, who have actually played football in the months of July and August and are in a groove.

And healthy.

Without getting into too many specifics, Bucs sources tell me that the team has a plan for Morrison. The goal it seems is to get him ready and healthy for the regular season.

But Morrison has missed a lot of developmental time – not just in this year’s training camp, but also last year’s. If Morrison isn’t a full participant in practice next week, he’ll miss his fifth preseason game, and these exhibition games are crucial for young, developing players.

Give up a big passing play in a preseason game? No big deal. It’s a learning lesson. Surrender a touchdown? Thankfully it doesn’t count in August.

Sources tell me that Morrison didn’t suffer an actual hamstring strain, which is technically a tear, at the end of the summer practices. Instead, his hamstring tightened, which created some mental doubt, and also some imbalance. Apparently, Morrison rehabbed so hard from his minor hamstring injury that one leg got too strong and created some imbalance that team trainers are working to correct during the month of August.

Bucs CB Benjamin Morrison – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

In the meantime, Morrison has been kept out of team drills during this process to avoid reaggravating one of his hamstring injuries – he’s pulled both since arriving in Tampa Bay last year.

Will this strategy work? There’s no guarantee.

And there’s no guarantee that just because Morrison might make it to the season opener in Week 1 that he’s actually going to be ready to suit up and play well if he misses the final two preseason games and another month of training camp.

I’m having flashbacks to when former Bucs defensive tackle Brian Price was battling hamstring injuries during his rookie season and had radical pelvic surgery where his hamstrings were reattached to his pelvis with screws. I remember him showing me his x-rays.

Price was never the same player and only played two years in the NFL as a result. I’m no doctor, but I’m concerned that Morrison’s past hip surgeries may ultimately be the culprit in his chronic hamstring issues.

This was one of the reasons why I was lukewarm about the team drafting him in the second round. I’m not a fan of the Bucs drafting injured players, and Morrison only played in the first six games of his junior season for the Fighting Irish.

Hip injuries and the cornerback position is not a good mix.

The Bucs have been very cautious with Morrison’s rehab, trying to avoid any setbacks that could cut into his availability during the season. The coaches are frustrated, the front office is frustrated and Morrison himself is frustrated. These hamstring injuries aren’t necessarily his fault.

The hope is that Morrison will ultimately get over the injury hump and that his hamstrings can get fully healthy and in balance. Only time will tell if that is the case.

If Morrison’s injuries linger this season, the team will have no choice but to prioritize cornerback next offseason and ultimately draft his replacement. Thankfully the drafting of Parrish has worked out so far.

FAB 2. 5 Bucs With Quiet Camps So Far – Offense

We’ve reported on the standouts from Bucs training camp, as well as the disappointments during the month of August. But there have been a handful of players who have hovered between okay and average in camp, and it’s only fair to report on these players, too. Being on this list doesn’t mean that their play can’t pick up in the last two weeks of camp, and the team certainly hopes that’s the case. So let’s talk about five offensive players who have had quiet camps so far.

WR Emeka Egbuka

Egbuka has had a solid camp, but certainly not as good as he did last year when he was literally the second-best Buccaneer in camp behind Mike Evans, who was Tampa Bay’s best player in the 2025 camp. Egbuka burst on the scene, getting open and catching everything in sight, and his August brilliance translated into a hot start to his rookie season on game days. This year it’s been a different story. He’s still struggled to get open against man coverage, which showed up down the stretch last year during the regular season.

Although he is in fantastic shape, Egbuka is bigger now and perhaps that’s slowed him down just a tick. Making a highlight catch in practice here or there is one thing. But getting open on a regular basis and making catches consistently is another. Chris Godwin Jr., at age 30, has been the Bucs’ best receiver in camp so far. Once he returns from his toe injury, the former first-round pick needs to show he can ascend to being WR1 in Tampa Bay.

TE Bauer Sharp

Sharp, this year’s sixth-round pick had a bunch of momentum heading into training camp, catching touchdown passes left and right during the rookie mini-camp, the OTAs and the mandatory mini-camp. But that momentum has slowed and Sharp hasn’t stood out as much as a receiver. That’s not to say that he’s had a poor camp. He’s proved to be a tenacious blocker once the pads came on, although he’s not a finished product in that area just yet.

It will be interesting to see if Sharp can step up in the preseason games and recapture some momentum as a receiver. Right now there is a three-way logjam at tight end between he, Devin Culp and Ko Kieft for the TE3 and TE4 jobs behind Cade Otton and Payne Durham. Sharp needs to use the preseason games to separate himself and lock up a roster spot.

Bucs TE Bauer Sharp – Photo by Cliff Welch P/R

TE Devin Culp

Culp had a very quiet offseason and missed some time in the OTAs and the mandatory mini-camp with an untimely and unfortunate hamstring injury. And he’s also had a quiet start to camp. Known as a receiving tight end, Culp has had a few too many drops. If that’s going to be his calling card, Culp needs to catch the ball cleanly every time and make plays in the passing game. That hasn’t happened enough.

Now on this third offensive coordinator in as many years, Culp also needs to show he can block and be a standout on special teams. He’s already behind Ko Kieft in both of those categories, and probably rookie Bauer Sharp, too. Culp’s roster spot is far from secure, and if he doesn’t impress in the preseason he might not even make the practice squad.

WR Jalen McMillan

McMillan has the athleticism and dynamic ability to be a big play waiting to happen at a moment’s notice. When he’s been on the field he’s made some fantastic plays, but his problem has just been his availability. Every time McMillan finds his footing and seems to be making progress it’s interrupted by injury. Last year it was a serious neck injury he suffered in the second preseason game at Pittsburgh that derailed most of his second season in Tampa Bay.

This year it’ been a slight knee injury that has kept him out of camp the last two weeks after an encouraging start at the beginning of August. McMillan is back at practice and close to returning as he’s been participating in individual drills, but not work in 11-on-11 periods yet. When McMillan returns to action let’s hope he stays healthy and can resume making progress as a young, talented receiver.

Bucs WR Jalen McMillan – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

RG Cody Mauch

Mauch has returned to action from a knee injury that caused him to miss all but the first two games of the regular season last year. He suffered a torn meniscus in the Week 2 win at Houston and then came season-ending knee surgery. Mauch is back healthy this year but he’s had some rust to shake off as he gets back into the groove of playing football again.

He hasn’t had a bad training camp, but he also hasn’t excelled either. Maybe it’s regaining confidence in his surgically-repaired knee, or maybe it’s learning how to play at over 325 pounds after gaining an extra 15 pounds of size or muscle. But Mauch has a ways to go before he gets back to his near Pro Bowl level. He’s been on the ground too much at practice for my liking.

FAB 3. 5 Bucs With Quiet Camps So Far – Defense

Now let’s talk about five defensive players that have had quiet camps so far.

S Tykee Smith

The good news for the Bucs is that Antoine Winfield Jr. is fully healthy and has been making plays left and right in training camp. He looks like the Winfield of all during that spectacular 2023 season. That has not been the case for Smith, who has a solid, but not spectacular camp. Smith has been okay in coverage, which is a good sign, and he’s forced a fumble in camp on a catch made by Emeka Egbuka, which was recovered by Winfield earlier in camp.

But for a player that is known for creating takeaways and making some big plays they haven’t materialized quite yet. Winfield has been playing closer to the line of scrimmage where Smith has also thrived and when he’s playing back in coverage he looks more like Clark Kent than Superman. Perhaps that changes over the last half of camp if Bowles decides to use him more closer to the line of scrimmage.

OLB Al-Quadin Muhammad

Muhammad has been a solid addition to the Bucs outside linebacker room and brings a lot of experience as a 31-year old edge defender. He had a career-high 11 sacks last year in Detroit playing opposite Pro Bowler Aidan Hutchinson, but a lot of those sacks came on hustle plays and clean up sacks rather than clean wins at the line of scrimmage off the snap.

Muhammad has not had many clean wins in Tampa Bay thus far, and his best practice actually came last week against the Jets on Tuesday. Todd Bowles values his ability to rush inside on nickel downs over the guard, and maybe that’s where he’ll thrive more than just being an edge rusher. Without better camp practices there is a chance David Walker surpasses him for the OLB3 role this season.

Bucs OLB Al-Quadin Muhammad – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

ILB SirVocea Dennis

The Bucs completely overhauled their inside linebacker room this offseason, adding Alex Anzalone and Christian Rozeboom in free agency and Josiah Trotter with their second-round pick. Anzalone has been as good as advertised as Lavonte David’s replacement as the Mo’ backer, while Dennis is still clinging to his starting role as the Mike linebacker. The only problem is that Dennis hasn’t made any noticeable plays, while Trotter has been a highlight machine against the run.

Dennis has four years of experience in Todd Bowles’ scheme working for him, but must rise to the occasion and match Trotter’s playmaking ability if he wants to hold off the rookie from taking his job. It seems like it’s only a matter of time before Trotter does that, as he’s already splitting starting reps on defense with Dennis.

OLB Chris Braswell

Braswell, a former second-round pick, has been a huge disappointment in Tampa Bay over the last two years. He struggles getting to the quarterback and has made of an impact covering kicks on special teams. That’s terrible value for a second-rounder and his pass rush hasn’t improved much heading into his third season. Braswell was nearly invisible at the start of training camp and is OLB6 right now, which is on the outside looking in.

However, he had two really good practices back-to-back last Friday and Sunday and is showing some signs of life. The rest of camp will be huge for him as Braswell needs to ramp up the sense of urgency and make more plays in the backfield. These preseason games will not only determine his fate in Tampa Bay, but also if he can play in the NFL and make another team’s roster if he’s cut by the Buccaneers.

Bucs OLB Chris Braswell – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

DT Calijah Kancey

Kancey has been healthy in camp so far (knock on wood) and that’s a welcomed sight for such an oft-injured player. And while he’s made a few plays in the backfield he has not had the dominant camp that he’s capable of having – and the team was hoping for – at least not yet. The former first-round pick is capable of wreaking havoc upfront, he just hasn’t done it on a consistent basis in August.

No need to ring the alarm bell. Kancey’s cat-like quickness hasn’t gone anywhere. He’s capable of turning it on and having a spectacular day whether it’s in practice or a game. But given the fact that the team has picked up his fifth-year option for the 2027 season and he didn’t record a sack in the three games he played in last year, it’s time for Kancey to remind everyone that he has first-round talent and the ability to be a game-wrecker.

FAB 4. Bucs Offensive Notes

Here are some observations about Zac Robinson’s offense that I’ve noted in the first three weeks of Bucs training camp.

• Tampa Bay’s offense so far is a perfect mix of what worked well with Liam Coen’s scheme in 2024 and what Zac Robinson did well in Atlanta, especially with respect to the running backs and how they are used in the passing game. Robinson’s offense doesn’t attempt to push the ball down the field as much, but when it does it’s very opportunistic. Expect a rising completion percentage for Baker Mayfield this year.

• As expected, we haven’t seen the Bucs operate out of pistol much if at all, which should come as welcomed news for you fans who were cringing over the fact that Zac Robinson ran so much pistol in Atlanta. He had to because of two immobile quarterbacks in Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr. This summer it’s either been under center or in shotgun, and there’s been quite a bit of motion and quite a bit of play-action. Everything is lining up for Baker Mayfield to have a big season. Robinson’s offense fits him like a glove.

• Tight end Cade Otton and running back Kenneth Gainwell have both had really good training camps. They’ll siphon a lot of catches this year from the Bucs’ receivers. Tampa Bay may not have a 1,000-yard receiver this year as a result. That might be a good thing, as there could be a couple of receivers over 800 yards and then four others with over 500 yards receiving – including Gainwell and Otton.

• Tampa Bay has used the Pony package – a two-back set – probably more than 12 personnel, which is two tight ends. There has been some usage of 12, but Zac Robinson appears ready to lean into the team’s strengths, which are the receiver room and the backfield, rather than the tight ends. Robinson was forced into 12 personnel usage a lot last year when star receiver Drake London got injured as the Falcons’ receiver room was not deep or talented.

FAB 5. Bucs Defensive Notes

Here are some observations about Todd Bowles’ defense that I’ve made through the first three weeks of Bucs training camp.

• Expect the Bucs run defense to be incredibly stout this year – likely a top 5 unit by the end of the season. It’s not just Tampa Bay’s starting defensive front, either. It’s the depth of the second- and third-team units as well. And this is without Vita Vea suiting up, as his hold in continues. In my 31 years of covering Buccaneers football I’ve never the nose tackle this stacked with talent before with A’Shawn Robinson, Rakeem Nunez-Roches, DeMonte Capehart, Jayson Jones and Elijah Simmons all looking more than capable.

• Unless disaster strikes in the preseason, expect the cornerback situation to be better than you might expect. Zyon McCollum is having the bounce-back camp everyone was hoping for and Jacob Parrish has been rock solid as a starting outside cornerback. Even without Benjamin Morrison, rookies Ayden Garnes and Keionte Scott, and Pepe Williams, who was on the practice squad last year, have risen to the occasion and all look capable of winning a roster spot. Throw in Morrison and special teams ace Josh Hayes and Tampa Bay has seven capable cornerbacks.

• Josiah Trotter looks like he’s picking up Todd Bowles’ defense at a rapid pace. His football I.Q. shows up in the few mistakes he’s made in practice. Trotter doesn’t look lost out there. He’s very well prepared and all of the wisdom his father, former Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, has passed down to him through the years is allowing him to play fast. Trotter appears to be on track to start in Week 1 and he may even wear the green dot if Bowles’ trusts him enough. If not, Alex Anzalone will to start the season.

• The Bucs defense has been very opportunistic when it comes to interceptions in camp. Zyon McCollum has the lead with three followed by reserve linebacker John Bullock, who has two. Cornerbacks Ayden Garnes, Pepe Williams and Josh Hayes each have a pick, as do safeties Antoine Winfield Jr., Rashad Wisdom and Ifeatu Melifonwu, in addition to one by Alex Anzalone.

Bucs Pregame And Postgame Coverage Friday On PewterReportTV

The Pewter Pregame show is back and made its debut Friday morning on the PewterReportTV YouTube channel at 9:00 a.m. ET. That’s the regular time to catch Scott Reynolds and Matt Matera every game day morning at 9:00 a.m. in the preseason and the regular season. Don’t miss this show before kickoff of the Bucs at Jets preseason game at 7:00 p.m. ET on Friday night.

The Pewter Report Postgame Podcast begins just after the conclusion of the Bucs at Jets preseason opener. Join Reynolds and Matera to recap all the action from Tampa Bay’s first exhibition game of 2026 on the PewterReportTV YouTube channel. Click the link below to join the show live.