Buccaneers defensive contributor on the hot seat after recent signing
By Rob Leeds
What do the Buccaneers see in their future with Sean Murphy-Bunting?
The hardest thing in sports is trying to determine when the right time is to move on from decent contributors. It can be extremely hard to ask this question, especially when you have well-liked players like Sean Murphy-Bunting on the Buccaneers, but you still need an answer.
How good is SMB on the defense? Does he really help as the third guy?
The answer, mostly, is yes, but the Bucs clearly have some questions.
Murphy-Bunting has been an above average corner for most of his time in the league, punctuated by an excellent run en route to a Super Bowl win, but that playoff run is certainly starting to look like a peak as we go through the years.
SMB was injured for a decent chunk of the 2021 season, so it may be too soon to start asking questions, but a guy going into a contract year after some up and down play is still worth keeping an eye on.
Clearly, Tampa likes Murphy-Bunting’s upside, but they have also clearly started hedging their bets. Adding Logan Ryan and Keanu Neal to a defense that also has two established corners and two established safeties makes it seem like Murphy-Bunting will start to see a bit more competition in his spot.
Whether the worry stems more from injuries or play, this move puts a few more guys behind the fourth-year corner, chomping at the bit to get on the field for a quality defense.
A little bit of competition never hurts anyone, but these moves could be an indication that the Bucs aren’t as certain about SMB’s future in Tampa as some of the fans are.
Either way, it is still nice to have a few extra bodies in the secondary to keep the unit in the best position possible to succeed in 2022 as the Bucs compete for another Super Bowl.
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