Earlier this month Bucs cornerback Zyon McCollum appeared on the Pewter Report Podcast where he discussed plenty about his season last year and the goals he has heading into what will be his third NFL season. As McCollum does so, he will likely be the starting outside cornerback opposite Jamel Dean, and that role comes with expectations.

Expectations to make big plays.

That’s not only what he wants of himself, but also something that has been embedded in the minds of all of the team’s defensive players by head coach Todd Bowles and cornerbacks coach Kevin Ross. Heading into training camp in just a few weeks, the young cornerback will be ready for anything “thrown” his way.

Zyon McCollum “Learned A Lot” Last Season With The Bucs

Bucs CB Carlton Davis III and DB Zyon McCollum – Photo by: USA Today

Zyon McCollum’s role with the Bucs became much more defined playing in all 17 games last season. With cornerbacks Jamel Dean and Carlton Davis III succumbing to injury at various points, it was McCollum who played the most starting snaps of any cornerback on the team. That made it easier for Tampa Bay to decide to move on from Davis this offseason, shipping him to the Lions.

In doing so it has fully cleared a spot for McCollum, who could very well have a big breakout season in 2024. When asked on the podcast about what he learned from last year, he spoke about just how much things can change and how you always have to be ready.

“I learned a lot, especially how quickly a season goes and how much you have to be ready for almost anything,” McCollum said. “Last year I didn’t know where I was going to play – right corner spot, left corner spot, nickel spot – so being able to go into every game knowing that I have to be ready for anything.”

Bucs HC Todd Bowles And CB Zyon McCollum – Photo by: USA Today

His ability to prepare for whatever was thrown his way has earned him some high praise from head coach Todd Bowles. Back in January, Bowles called him an “enigma” for his ability to cross-train from cornerback to safety. Then, at the NFL Annual Meeting in March, he named the versatile defensive back as one of his defensive “chess pieces.”

To McCollum’s credit, he approached each game with a clear mind, which has helped him navigate the waters of change.

“In this league, anything can happen,” McCollum added. “Everything’s good, and then all it takes is one play, and everything changes. The readiness for sure is something that I took in the most to heart. Just going into each and every week with a fresh, blank mindset and being ready for anything that could come my way.”

How Has Zyon McCollum Been Finding Ways To Make Big Plays?

Over this offseason, a big emphasis for Zyon McCollum and the rest of the Bucs’ secondary has been finding ways to make more big plays. Safety Antoine Winfield Jr. shouldered a lot of this responsibility last season, but it cannot fall on just him again.

Bucs CB Zyon McCollum – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Between McCollum, Jamel Dean, and new safeties Jordan Whitehead and Tykee Smith, each will be expected to contribute and capitalize on their chances when they get them. That begins with deceiving opposing quarterbacks and getting in the right position.

“I’m trying to find ways to play to where I can force the quarterback to give me a chance,” McCollum said. “To force the quarterback into thinking something’s open, and just me being comfortable and understanding my speed now and the ways that I can use it. Now that I know the system, I can sit back and I can read and I can show the quarterback different things.

“I can give him the appearance that I’m in a deep coverage but really I’m in an underneath coverage, or I can give the appearance that I’m in man but really I’m in zone. Because of that, I’ve just been able to see the ball a lot easier, see it a lot slower, and use my athleticism to go and make some of these big plays.”

Throughout OTAs and mandatory mini-camp, McCollum was making his presence felt, recording a couple of interceptions off quarterback Baker Mayfield while demonstrating his abilities as a starting NFL cornerback. Going from his rookie year to his second season in 2023, one could notice the big strides he took on the field as the game slowed down for him and he improved as a tackler and in coverage.

Still, one thing has eluded him so far in his NFL career – a regular-season interception.

Heading into this offseason and training camp, McCollum relayed that the message from cornerbacks coach Kevin Ross is to be out there every day catching footballs and for the secondary to hone in on working together to make interceptions easier to come by.

Bucs CB Zyon McCollum – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“Just to go make those big plays,” McCollum said of what message Ross gave him. “‘You’re comfortable, you’re in the system, you know what’s going on, you know how the NFL works, so now it’s time to take that next step in this league and start making these plays.’ Our whiteboard in our meeting room, the biggest letters on that whiteboard is, ‘Catch 50 balls a day.’ Fifty balls a day, and he’s on us every single day. Are we getting our 50 catches in, are we getting our 50 catches in?

“That’s been a big emphasis for not only the cornerback room but for the entire defense. In our very first meeting of the offseason, Coach Bowles gets all of the defense in there and we just start watching cutups of how we’re going to disguise coverages and then how these disguises are going to set up a lot of our interceptions. We don’t have to rely completely on our athleticism to make these big plays, but we can rely on our intelligence and our ability to work together to show the quarterback something so that we can go get interceptions that we just set up off just talking to each other.”

Zyon McCollum has goals of taking that next step in 2024 and is eager to see the fruits of his offseason labor pay off.

“This year, it’s time to just bring everything together, no second guessing. Just go out there, play with these quarterback’s heads, and make some plays.”

Catch Zyon McCollum On The Pewter Report Podcast

In case you missed Zyon McCollum’s hour-long appearance on the Pewter Report Podcast a few weeks ago, be sure to check it out and hear everything he had to say about his busy offseason and the big goals he has for the upcoming season.