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

QUESTION: After free agency and the draft, who are the top players on each of the teams in the NFC South?

ANSWER: This is a good and interesting question. Let’s start with Tampa Bay. It’s pretty clear that left tackle Tristan Wirfs, who is a five-time Pro Bowler and a three-time All-Pro, including twice (2021, 2024) as a first-team selection.

A few years ago, it might have been a toss up between a younger Wirfs and future Hall of Fame receiver Mike Evans and Hall of Fame-worthy linebacker Lavonte David, who were still in their primes when Wirfs entered the league in 2020, the year the Bucs won Super Bowl LV. Now, Wirfs stands alone as the best Buccaneer, with quarterback Baker Mayfield, a two-time Pro Bowler, a distant second. Perhaps in time, first-round pick Rueben Bain Jr. can contend for this designation if he can exceed expectations.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield and Panthers DT Derrick Brown – Photo by: USA Today

In Carolina, it’s got to be defensive tackle Derrick Brown. He’s a force along the interior and was recently rewarded in 2024 with a five-year, $96 million contract worth an average of $24 million. Brown missed all but one game during the 2024 season with a meniscus injury, but came back with a vengeance last year. Known primarily as an upper tier run stuffer, Brown produced a career-high five sacks in addition to 73 tackles, seven pass breakups, five tackles for loss and a forced fumble in helping the Panthers win the NFC South title last year.

Atlanta has a trio of stars in Drake London, who just became the league’s third-highest paid wide receiver, running back Bijan Robinson and right guard Chris Lindstrom. London, who makes an average of $35.2 million per year, is a legit 1,000-yard receiver, but has yet to make a Pro Bowl or an All-Pro team, so I’ll eliminate him. Lindstrom is the most accomplished current Falcon with four Pro Bowls and four second-team All-Pro honors.

But I’ll go with Robinson, who has been in the league four fewer years than Lindstrom has and is a two-time Pro Bowler with his initial first-team All-Pro honor coming last year. In a fantasy draft, if every NFL team could select one player off the Falcons roster, the majority of teams would take Robinson, who is a legit runner-receiver weapon.

Falcons RB Bijan Robinson and Bucs ILB Lavonte David – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

New Orleans has had a lot of roster turnover with Kellen Moore assuming head coaching duties last year. Saints stalwarts like defensive end Cam Jordan and middle linebacker Demario Davis are gone, and the offense has had quite an overhaul. Wide receiver Chris Olave had a 1,000-yard season last year and was second-team All-Pro despite not making the Pro Bowl. But he’s recovering from a blood clot and his status for 2026 is up in the air, which is why New Orleans spent a first-round pick on Arizona State receiver Jordyn Tyson, who has star potential.

But when healthy, center Erik McCoy, a two-time Pro Bowler from 2023-24, is probably the best player in New Orleans. McCoy tore his biceps in the seventh game of the year and was placed on injured reserve. Defensive end Chase Young finally lived up to his potential and had 12 sacks last year and he might be in the running, too.

QUESTION: How concerned should we be with Benjamin Morrison’s health considering we are going to be reliant on him taking a leap in year 2?

ANSWER: That’s a good question, and a valid one. Second-year cornerback Benjamin Morrison was making some real strides in the offseason program and in the OTAs before a “leg injury” sidelined him for Thursday’s final OTA practice. Morrison made a great interception during the second week of OTAs when he stepped in front of Chris Godwin and picked off Baker Mayfield. It was a very instinctive play from the Notre Dame product, and the ability to create interceptions was one of the reasons the Bucs spent a second-round pick on him.

His oft-injured rookie season has been well-documented. Morrison missed the final day of the mandatory mini-camp with a hamstring injury. Then after a few weeks of training camp, he had another more severe hamstring injury that cost him an entire month of practice, including all three preseason games. That missed time showed up on the field, as Morrison gave up touchdowns in close losses to New England and at Buffalo.

Bucs CB Benjamin Morrison and Bills WR Tyrell Shavers – Photo by: USA Today

He wound up playing in just 10 games as a rookie, missing seven other games with hamstring injuries. Now it seems like he’s got another hamstring injury, although head coach Todd Bowles wasn’t specific when I asked him if it was indeed a hamstring that kept Morrison out of practice. Bowles replied that he was “nicked up” and that it was a “leg injury.”

I do think this is a concern for the team, as the best ability is availability. Morrison can’t help the team if he’s on the sidelines in street clothes. Let’s hope that this was a minor tweak and that he can participate in this week’s mandatory mini-camp. If he misses time this week, I’d have to suggest that this is a real red flag about Morrison’s durability. The fear is that the Bucs drafted one oft-injured cornerback to replace another oft-injured cornerback in Jamel Dean.

However, if Morrison can work these hamstring issues out over the summer and fully participate in training camp and the preseason, that will be a big step to easing some concerns about his health and durability. Right now he’s well behind Jacob Parrish, last year’s third-round pick, in terms of his NFL development. Parrish played in all three preseason games last year, in addition to being a starter – either at nickelback or at outside cornerback – for all 17 games and had a really promising rookie season with seven pass breakups, two interceptions, two sacks and a fumble recovery. Morrison needs a good – and healthy – training camp to continue to hone his skills.

QUESTION: Do you think the Bucs will take a look at any veteran cornerbacks with experience? If not, why? There is depth on the team, but it’s basically all special teams type of CBs.

ANSWER: Yes, I do think Tampa Bay’s front office is still keeping an eye on the cornerback position for a player with more starting experience. Rasul Douglas turns 31 in August, and he might be the best available free agent cornerback. He’s played a reasonably high level in recent years in Miami and Green Bay. But the problem with aging cornerbacks like Douglas is that they want to play on defense, but don’t necessarily want to play on special teams at this stage of their career.

With Zyon McCollum, Jacob Parrish and Benjamin Morrison as the top three cornerbacks on the depth chart, a new cornerback like Douglas – or another free agent – would really have to come in and wow the team to unseat one of those homegrown corners. And if that didn’t happen, would Douglas or another veteran cornerback be content with covering kicks and punts or would they be a malcontent? That’s always a risk with bringing in veteran free agents.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield and Dolphins CB Rasul Douglas – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect – Sam Navarro

Another route the Bucs could take would be to trade for a younger cornerback with some starting experience in August during training camp and the preseason – or perhaps in early September if the waiver wire after roster cutdowns doesn’t bear any fruit at the position. A younger cornerback might have his ego in check and be more willing to play on special teams as CB4 on the depth chart.

You are correct in saying that the new cornerbacks – outside of nickelback Keionte Scott, the team’s fourth-round pick – are mostly special teamers. Neither Kemon Hall nor Chase Lucas, both age 29, have yet to start an NFL game and neither has an interception. In fact, Lucas has just one career pass breakup. So if there is an injury to two cornerbacks – say McCollum and Parrish – right now it would be Morrison and special teamer Josh Hayes, who has limited starting experience, as the Bucs’ top two cornerbacks. Thus, cornerback is still a need in Tampa Bay.

QUESTION: Isn’t the captain of the Titanic (Todd Bowles) just rearranging the deck chairs by hiring different coaches, much like he did last season? Please explain to us how this is going to change the results.

ANSWER: Well, let’s hope not, right? The only different coaches the Bucs hired in 2025 were defensive line coach Charlie Strong and pass game coordinator Kefense Hinson, who was tabbed for that position by new offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard, who was an in-house promotion.

The 2026 coaching staff has been revamped at a larger degree. New offensive coordinator Zac Robinson has hired to replace Grizzard, and he brought pass game coordinator TJ Yates, quarterbacks coach Chandler Whitmer and senior assistant Ken Zampese with him from Atlanta. Whitmer was the Falcons QBs coach in 2024, but spent last year with Indiana, who won the national championship. Tampa Bay also has a new assistant offensive line coach in Andrew Mitchell, as well as a new special teams coordinator in veteran Danny Smith.

Bucs HC Todd Bowles and CBs coach Rashad Johnson – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Defensively, there are three new position coaches. Cornerbacks coach Rashad Johnson and safeties coach Tim Atkins replace Kevin Ross and Nick Rapone, respectively. Both Johnson and Atkins served as assistants to Ross and Rapone for years and know Todd Bowles’ system quite well. They are both about 20 years younger than the elders they are replacing, and are more relatable to the players they are coaching.

New defensive line coach Marcus West replaces Strong, and he too is over 20 years younger and has brought a lot more energy to the D-line room, much like Johnson and Atkins have brought to the secondary, and Smith has brought to special teams. After seeing these coaches in action for the rookie mini-camp and the OTAs, we at Pewter Report have come away impressed. Coaching matters. And at first glance, these assistants seem better, more hands-on, and more energetic than the men they are replacing.

The ultimate role of a position coach is to develop and improve the play of the players in their respective rooms. While coaching is important and scheme matters, football is more about the Jimmies and the Joes than the X’s and the O’s. Talent alone can win games as long as it is executed properly. And the Bucs have increased their talent level on both sides of the ball this season, but most notably on the defensive side.

Better coaching and more talent should make Tampa Bay better in 2025 and poised to recapture the NFC South title. But that has to be proven on the field for 17 weeks to truly come to fruition.