Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The murky corner depth chart
By Rob Leeds
Who is in, who is out?
After these first two the clarity of the water begins to darken. Carlton Davis, and Ryan Smith all had playing time last season and could start to show promise if they were given the opportunities. Carlton Davis is better than Ryan Smith, and the word this offseason has been that M.J. Stewart could try a move to safety or at least split snaps there which would allow other players to get those reps.
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While Davis seems like the best choice based on availability and experience, Bowles and the Bucs front office threw a wrench into that plan by also drafting Jamel Dean from Auburn in the second round of the draft. Dean is more athletic than Davis and would be able to play in Bowles’ system as well as Murphy-Bunting meaning he could also very well be a starter.
Carlton Davis has seemed like the odd man out this offseason and part of that is unfair to him as a player. As a rookie he was thrust into a starting spot on a failing defense alongside other young players in a very tough division to play defense.
It feels wrong to move on from talented players like Stewart and Davis after just one season and it also feels like a waste of high round draft picks. If not one of the two starters, Davis will be a very capable backup alongside M.J. Stewart and Ryan Smith.
Next. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Breaking down depth chart at inside linebacker. dark
As far as storylines go, the battle between Dean and Davis will be an interesting one with Dean currently having the slight advantage based on the eye test. During training camp it will be important to note how Davis fares in the new system and if he can use his experience to edge out Dean to keep the starting spot. Vernon Hargreaves has also had some question marks surrounding himself at the start of training camp and it will be interesting to see if he and the Bucs can make a long term commitment to one another.