When D’Cota Dixon went down with a season-ending knee injury during training camp and Justin Evans remained sidelined with nagging foot injuries that have kept him out of action since Week 13 of the 2018 season, the Bucs were quickly short-handed at the safety position in 2019, leading to the re-signing of Andrew Adams.

GM Jason Licht – Photo by: Pewterreport.com

Jason Licht and Bruce Arians both spoke to the media in Indianapolis where they provided updates on the health of Justin Evans and provided some clarity on their view of the team’s safeties.

“We were hoping April 1 but now it’s looking like June 1,” Arians said about Evans’ recovery. “He was running in a pool so he’s making progress, I was hoping to get some OTAs out of him, but he is making good progress.”

Despite Arians pointing to yet another setback for Evans, his return – along with the return of Dixon – could impact whether the Bucs emphasize the importance of adding another safety through the draft or free agency.

Licht believes that while you could easily view the Bucs’ safety position a liability, it could end up being a solid unit if things fall the right way.

“We do feel good about our safety room,” Licht said. “And we feel that it would be a bonus if Justin comes back healthy because he’s a really good player, he’s a great athlete and he’s a really smart kid. So it would be a bonus if he came back but I can’t sit here today and say that we’re counting on Justin Evans to be our starter just because of the fact that he’s hurt.”

But despite safety being a question mark, specifically at the free safety spot, Licht is confident in the unit’s versatility and ability to move around the field depending on which package defensive coordinator rolls out on the field.

“We think that they’re interchangeable,” Licht said. “We think that we have a lot of guys that can play both. We feel good about our room, we feel like we can win with these guys.”