Recent Buccaneers decision is not good news for young defender

Sean Murphy-Bunting losing the starting corner role and apparently losing his role as the fifth DB does not bode well for his future with the Buccaneers.

There is obviously still time for this to change, but Sean Murphy-Bunting should start to feel his seat heating up with the Buccaneers.

None of this is to say that he is a bad defender or a player that the Bucs should let walk in free agency at the end of the 2022/2023 season, but there are only so many guys that the team can keep.

If Jamel Dean is going to be the other starter alongside Carlton Davis going forward and the team likes the idea of using Logan Ryan and Keanu Neal as the fifth defensive back, how can the team afford to pay SMB at the end of this season?

Murphy-Bunting has experienced some excellent moments during his time with Tampa, but every three-game run with interceptions that we saw in the playoffs has a counterpart in a way that the team can’t afford to experience.

If Tampa really wants to use Davis, Dean, Antoine Winfield Jr. in the slot, Mike Edwards, and a Ryan/Neal duo, the opportunities for SMB to prove that he deserves a sizable extension are shrinking quickly.

This was always going to be the most likely path for Tampa when they drafted two corners in the same year with a guy like Davis already on the roster. No team in the league can afford to pay three top corners, and the Bucs might even have their hands full trying to pay Dean with so many other big names to keep off the open market.

Again, Sean Murphy-Bunting can ball out this season and make a genuine name for himself ahead of negotiations, but it is going to be a difficult task with reps that are almost a lock to disappear.

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