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Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds answers your questions from the @PewterReport Twitter account each week in the Bucs Mailbag. Submit your question to the Bucs Mailbag each week via Twitter using the hashtag #PRMailbag.  Here are the Bucs questions we chose to answer for this week’s edition.

QUESTION: All this money tied up in Carlton Davis III and Jamel Dean, who always miss games due to injury. Dean has not played well and Zyon McCollum has improved. Any buyer’s remorse from the Bucs?

ANSWER: No, there’s no buyer’s remorse when it comes to paying cornerbacks Carlton Davis III and Jamel Dean. When healthy and on top of their games, Davis and Dean comprise one of the best cornerback tandems in the league. Neither player wants to be hurt, and the team certainly doesn’t want that, either. Injuries are an unfortunate part of the game and are hard to prevent.

Bucs CB Zyon McCollum Photo By: Cliff Welch P/R

At the same time, Davis and Dean have not been the most durable cornerbacks in the NFL. In his six seasons in the league, Davis has never played a full season. The most games he’s played in during one year is 14, which came in the 16-game seasons in 2019 and 2020. Unfortunately, Davis has missed 13 games from 2021-23. That’s almost an entire season.

As for Dean, he’s been a bit more durable. But like Davis, he’s yet to play a full season. He’s missed five games total over the last three years, including Sunday’s game at New Orleans. The saving grace for the Bucs – at least this year – has been the rapid and steady improvement of Zyon McCollum, the team’s third cornerback. McCollum has had to start the last three games this season for either Davis (Weeks 2-3) or Dean (Week 4), and keeps getting better.

The Bucs are a better team with the experienced Davis and Dean healthy and playing top-notch football. With Davis back and Dean on the mend, the hope is that both can be in the lineup against the Lions in two weeks. And yes, Dean does need to play better upon his return. The Bucs always have McCollum ready if Dean’s play slips, though.

QUESTION: With the way Jamel Dean has played this season, is the Bucs defense better without him?

Eagles WR DeVonta Smith and Bucs CB Jamel Dean – Photo by: USA Today

ANSWER: No, the Bucs are better with Jamel Dean playing than without him. Injuries happen in football, and cornerback is a rock ’em, sock ’em position. It’s rare for starting cornerbacks to make it through a whole season unscathed. That’s why Hall of Famer Ronde Barber’s final 13 straight seasons in Tampa Bay without missing a game due to injury is an absolute outlier – and a marvelous miracle.

It takes 3-4 good, starting-caliber cornerbacks for a defense to not only survive a 17-week NFL season, but also to thrive. The Bucs have a pretty strong quartet at cornerback with Dean, Carlton Davis III, Zyon McCollum and Dee Delaney. It’s important to note that the opportunistic Delaney is tied for the team lead with two interceptions despite not being a starter. He filled in at cornerback for Dean against the Eagles and filled in for injured safety Ryan Neal on Sunday versus the Saints.

The good news for the Bucs is that McCollum has started the last three games and has gotten remarkably better due to the increased playing time. If Dean returns from injury and his play is not up to par at least head coach and defensive play-caller Todd Bowles has an option now in McCollum. The Bucs now have the confidence that McCollum can be a starting-level cornerback in the NFL.

QUESTION: Will the time off during the bye week help get Calijah Kancey healthy and back on the field? The Bucs defense would be scary, especially the trenches.

Bucs DT Calijah Kancey – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

ANSWER: Yes, having the quickness of Calijah Kancey will make the Bucs defense even scarier. Not only will Kancey’s quickness help him record some sacks this year, but just his instant penetration will be enough to force quarterbacks to their left or to their right where the likes of Shaq Barrett, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, Anthony Nelson or YaYa Diaby will be waiting. In terms of pass rush, Kancey will probably generate even more sacks for others than he will get himself.

The Bucs didn’t put Kancey on short-term injured reserve, so they didn’t think he would miss three other games once he left the season opener after 11 plays due to a sore calf. His injury has been frustrating, but having an extra week off to rest up due to the bye will only help him. Tampa Bay is expecting Kancey to make an immediate impact upon his return to action.

There are some Tampa Bay fans who foolishly believe that Kancey is a wasted first-round pick just because he has missed the preseason and all but 11 plays of the regular season opener at Minnesota due to injury. Thankfully, Fox Sports’ veteran Bucs and NFC South reporter Greg Auman brings some facts and perspective to the social media arena now known as X.

QUESTION: Our outside backers on the D-line is not good. There is no pass rush if there’s no blitz. These guys disappear too much. Anyone the Bucs can look at over the bye week?

Bucs OLB Anthony Nelson and Vikings QB Kirk Cousins – Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

ANSWER: No, the Bucs won’t look elsewhere for outside linebacker help. They like the five players they have on the 53-man roster – six if you include practice squad edge rusher Jose Ramirez. Shaq Barrett and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka make a good starting duo, and Anthony Nelson is not far behind JTS in terms of being a quality starting-caliber player.

Barrett has a sack on the year and had one at New Orleans negated due to him grabbing Derek Carr’s facemask. Tryon-Shoyinka has a pair of sacks and has made progress this year, while Nelson had a sack in Week 1 and reserve Cam Gill had a QB capture in Week 2.

The old NFL saying is that “there are are no saviors on the street in September.” That obviously rings true for October, too. The Bucs will ride with the aforementioned players this year in addition to rookie YaYa Diaby, who has shown some real power and promise. And there’s a chance impressive undrafted free agent Markees Watts gets activated and makes his presence felt later in the year. He’s a victim of the numbers game right now.

The outside linebackers are capable of more production when it comes to sacks and pressures. We’ll see how this unit continues to grow under the tutelage of outside linebackers coach George Edwards as the season unfolds. At the same time, once rookie Calijah Kancey, the team’s first-round pick, returns to action this year it should help the sack production of Tampa Bay’s edge rushers. Kancey’s ability to knife through the line of scrimmage and threaten the A or B gap will only flush the quarterback towards the edge of the pocket and help the likes of Barrett, Tryon-Shoyinka and others finish the play with a sack.