The Bucs haven’t actively sought competition for their cornerback room in some time, but that might change this offseason. According to PFF’s Ari Meirov, the Bucs were six teams interested in adding veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson. On Wednesday, Peterson announced that he was returning to the Vikings on a one-year deal.

The Bucs cornerback room has remained mostly unchanged for the past few years. Once again, Carlton Davis, Jamel Dean and Sean Murphy-Bunting figure to be the team’s top three corners in 2022. But adding Peterson could have changed that. The 32-year old is no longer the lockdown corner he once was, but he proved he could still play in Minnesota during the 2021 season. Peterson played in 13 games, picking off one pass and recording 45 tackles.

The Bucs interest in Peterson could be an indication the team is looking to add a veteran cornerback to their young room. But it may also simply be head coach Bruce Arians inquiring about one of his favorite players. After all, Arians coached Peterson for five season in Arizona, arguably the cornerback’s finest seasons. The Bucs shot caller might just view Peterson as a veteran worth adding to the room, rather than seeing cornerback as a position of need.

In addition to their young trio of starters, the Bucs still have veteran cornerback Ross Cockrell on the roster. But Cockrell fell out of favor as a desirable backup last season, losing playing time to Mike Edwards as the year went on. If the Bucs are looking to replace Cockrell, Stephon Gilmore, Janoris Jenkins, Robert Alford and Joe Haden could be good veteran options.