Is cornerback Patrick Peterson a Buccaneers trade target?

The Buccaneers defensive line and linebacker corps has looked good, but they need help in the secondary; could Patrick Peterson be in the cards?

The Buccaneer secondary has looked good for brief flashes of the season, but lacks a true shutdown corner. Vernon Hargreaves had a great first game with a pick-six against the 49ers and then continued into the second game with a game-saving tackle against the Panthers. As far as coverage goes though, while Hargreaves has been better this year, he likely lacks the ability to be a true CB1; the Buccaneers could remedy this lack of depth in the secondary by trading for Patrick Peterson from Arizona.

Peterson has been one of the best true man-to-man corners in the league with eight Pro Bowls to his name and three First-team All-Pro selections. With the level of talent that he has, and still only being 29 years old, this is certainly a player worth trading for.

After spending three high picks in the 2019 draft on corners and a safety, so far only the safety; Mike Edwards, has panned out.  The second round pick, Sean Murphy-Bunting has looked lost on the field in the pre-season and been a liability in the regular season. Third round draft pick, Jamel Dean has shown flashes that he has a bright future, but has been injured for most of the first part of the season.

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While the Bucs have already invested a lot of draft capital into the secondary over the last few years, they have players that can learn, but they may have to spend more capital to find a leader and a teacher on and off the field. If the Cardinals were to be willing to part with Peterson for a second round pick, the Buccaneers should jump at the opportunity. If the Cardinals will require more than just a second round pick, the Buccaneers have a tight end they should be willing to part with to further sweeten the deal for an Arizona team that is severely lacking in that department.

Cameron Brate has had his excellent moments for the Bucs, but with pre-season standout Tanner Hudson on the roster and hungry for snaps, the Bucs could replace Brate with a younger and cheaper model. This past off-season the rumors swirled around that Brate was on his way out and this would not be a move that would shock anyone. Brate paired with a later round draft pick could provide stability for an Arizona franchise that desperately needs it and is looking to build for the future.

Patrick Peterson would be a day one starter on the Buccaneer defense. Coming in at his 9th year, Peterson has 23 interceptions to his name and the Buccaneers are in need of players that can provide takeaways other than Shaquil Barrett. Peterson could serve this role well and could be a solid example to younger players such as Dean, Murphy-Bunting, M.J. Stewart, and Carlton Davis.

Peterson, other than his suspension this year for PEDs, has been largely consistent as a player on and off the field and the Buccaneer defense is need of consistency. The Bucs also have nearly enough cap space to pay Peterson his salary if they make some small moves.

While using more draft picks or trading away a consistent tight end seem like rash decisions to improve the secondary, trading to reunite Peterson and Bruce Arians could help propel the Buccaneer defense into the top ten units in the league. The season is moving right along and the trade deadline will be here before you know it, so it will be interesting to see if the Bucs pull the trigger on  Patrick Peterson and bring him to Tampa.