A sliver lining in what was a frustrating 33-27 loss for the Bucs at the Bengals was the way that Tampa Bay’s secondary stepped up in the opener. What was perceived to potentially be the weakness of the defense going into the game turned out to be the strength of it when it was all said and done.

This was a spearheaded by veteran corner Zyon McCollum, who needed a bounce back season to begin with. McCollum was second on the team with nine tackles, including one tackle for loss and two pass breakups. Unfortunately, second year corner Jacob Parrish exited the game early with a back injury, but even in his limited time, he still managed to play solid football, making two tackles and also recording a pass breakup.

When Parrish left the game, it set the stage for a highly talked about corner and fellow second year player, Benjamin Morrison. A second-round pick out of Notre Dame, Morrison has struggled with an injury history in his young career. It slowed him down during his rookie season and then he was held out for a majority of training camp in this year’s preseason. Morrison didn’t play until Tampa Bay’s preseason finale, and even then questions still arose about if he can be trusted when the regular season comes.

Bucs CB Benjamin Morrison – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

Morrison silenced a lot of doubters for one week, making four tackles, one tackle for loss, and breaking up a pass for the Bucs’ defense. And most importantly, he stayed healthy.

“I thought he played very well,” head coach Todd Bowles said of Morrison. “He prepared well. He practiced like that all week. When he got in the game, he didn’t miss a beat. He tackled well. He covered well. I thought he did a heck of a job.”

Zyon McCollum, Jacob Parrish And Benjamin Morrison Stand Out For Bucs

The production was great for Zyon McCollum, Jacob Parrish and Benjamin Morrison, but let’s also remember that it was against a high-powered Bengals offense.

This trio of corners held Ja’Marr Chase to two catches for 12 yards and Tee Higgins two just three receptions and 59 yards receiving. The most damage in the game came from Cincinnati tight end Mike Gesicki, who led their offense with five catches for 78 yards and a touchdown. That doesn’t fall on the cornerbacks.

Bucs CB Jacob Parrish and Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

In a game where the defensive front could not generate pressure in the slightest, and inside linebacker Alex Anzalone missed tackles left and right, the corners showing up was a bright spot for Tampa Bay. That needs to continue as the season moves along.

The Bucs face an inferior Browns team this week that doesn’t have the most daunting of an offense, but in the coming weeks the Bucs go up against some of the best receivers in the league like Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson in Week 3, and Dallas’ CeDee Lamb and George Pickens in Week 5.

The X-ray and MRI on Parrish’s injured back came back negative, so it’s just about managing his soreness this week. Knowing the Bucs can have a little more confidence in McCollum and Morrison though can help out if he does have to miss some games. After one week, the Bucs cornerbacks are trending in the right direction with how they played.

“I mean, it was good, you know, coming together,” McCollum said. “It was something that we’ve been harping on all summer and something me and Jacob and ‘B-Mo’ (Benjamin Morrison) knew coming into Week 1. We’ve been harping on it and [have] been trying to be sharp in our coverage and everything. It sucks to not come out on the winning end of that, but it’s Week 1. The games count now, but it’s still a long season, and we’ll clean up some of these details.”