Defensive Backs
Cornerbacks Safties
Brent Grimes Chris Conte
Alterraun Verner Bradley McDougald
Vernon Hargreaves III Keith Tandy
Jude Adjei-Barimah Ryan Smith
Johnthan Banks
Josh Robinson
The Bucs kept every cornerback we thought they may possibly keep.
If there’s one surprise to list here its Johnthan Banks. The former second-round draft pick has been underwhelming for the better part of two season and after getting a second chance of sorts this year he didn’t really capitalize the way veteran Alterraun Verner did.
Perhaps I’m being overly critical here, but seeing the amount of plays Banks pulled up early on and how much he celebrated the few times he made an impact play, I had him squarely on the list of players who needed to go sooner rather than later.
biggest surprise is that they stuck with Banks #53Bucs
— The PewterCast (@ThePewterCast) September 2, 2016
The continuing success of undrafted free-agent Jude Adjei-Barimah is promising as he continues to build upon an impressive rookie season which saw him get starts in front of the rejuvenated Verner.
Speaking of Al, the combination of Brent Grimes and Verner has proven to be an effective one as the duo has brought back a toughness to the outside which has been lacking.
First-round pick Vernon Hargreaves III looked great in limited action turning in a pair of interceptions this pre-season.
At safety this team is going to look very similar to the way it did last year which can be a good thing or a bad one.
Chris Conte and Bradley McDougald lead the deep field and Keith Tandy will perform backup duties with rookie Ryan Smith.
Smith can also drop down as a cornerback when needed and his athleticism should produce big time as his NFL smarts grow to match it.
Rookies Isaiah Johnson and Javien Elliott fell short of making the team, but both showed flashes of talent and could be invited to the practice squad if slots permit.
Next: The End