With one more preseason game to go before the regular season kicks off on September 13th, the Bucs still haven’t seen cornerback Benjamin Morrison play in a preseason game. Last year’s second-round pick out of Notre Dame missed all three preseason games a season ago, and was in jeopardy of missing all three once again this year after being held out in the prior two games against the Jets and Chiefs.

Morrison’s hamstring injuries have been well documented. He missed four weeks of training camp last year, and while he did play in 10 regular season games, his sporadic availability throughout the season due to recurring hamstring injuries didn’t give him the proper development a rookie corner could use despite getting important game experience.

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

That’s why going into year two brought so much aggravation when he was shelved on the sideline once again. It took weeks before Morrison could end up practicing in training camp after injuring his hamstring once again during the OTAs and missing the mandatory mini-camp. The Bucs were being super cautious with him, keeping Morrison to just individual drills when he finally returned right before joint practices with the Jets two weeks ago.

Eventually he made his way to 11-on-11s and even had some nice moments in the latest joint practices against the Jaguars that the Bucs had this week in Jacksonville. Morrison had two pass breakups in coverage while Jacksonville starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence was in. It was great for Morrison, who has moved down the depth chart due to his unavailability, now behind Jacob Parrish and Zyon McCollum.

Update: Bucs CB Morrison Will Play vs. Jaguars

So naturally, after a performance like Benjamin Morrison had on Wednesday, does that mean he could play in Friday’s contest? Bucs head coach Todd Bowles didn’t rule it out, but kept it vague.

“He looked okay in practice,” Bowles began. “We’re going to talk about the guys who are going to play tonight, so it will be interesting to see. I’d like to see him out there and [see him] get some snaps in because he hasn’t played all preseason, but we’ll see.”

Pewter Report has since learned that Morrison will play some snaps in Friday night’s preseason game at Jacksonville, getting some live reps for the first time this season.

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

To Morrison’s credit, he’s had an upbeat attitude about the whole situation. He desperately wants to be out there, but isn’t sulking or taking a “woe is me” approach. He’s in the right frame of mind even with this frustrating obstacle.

“We’re taking it day-by-day,” Morrison said. “I mean, this is the best I’ve felt in a while. Man, they’ve done a great job with my body. I’m in a great headspace, mental space. I’m just excited for what is to come and just taking God through it all.”

How Quickly Can Benjamin Morrison Get Up To Speed?

Because of Benjamin Morrison’s many absences, he’s learned the importance of preparation through another lens. There’s learning in the class room but there’s also taking mental reps watching his teammates perform.

Bucs Benjamin Morrison – Photo by: Matt Matera/PR

“I think the importance of mental reps,” Morrison said.  “I think last year, I was young, I was naïve. Coming out of college it’s more physical, it’s mainly, I line up across from a dude and I’m physically better than you, you know what I’m saying? Now, it’s like everyone in the league is good.

“So, it’s like, how can I, even though I’m not on the field, but how can I still gain these reps off the field? That’s why I feel the biggest jump for me was this year coming to camp. Like I said, still getting to where I want to be, but I feel like I’ve been able to keep up just off of the mental side of the game. Now, my mind is there and I’m getting the body back.”