3 offseason needs Buccaneers still need to fill, and veteran free agents who could help

Buccaneers offseason need: Cornerback/Safety

We’re going to cheat a little bit and combine two needs into one here, but both seem to stick out equally as places on the roster where the Bucs could use some veteran support.

Entering the offseason it looked like Tampa Bay was going to lose its top cornerback in Jamel Dean. While that miraculously didn’t happen, Dean’s return didn’t erase a need for the Bucs to pad the cornerback position with some depth.

The Bucs drafted Kansas State cornerback Josh Hayes on Day 3 of the NFL Draft, but he doesn’t fill the need for a veteran to likely fill the CB3 role alongside Dean and Carlton Davis III.

Earlier this offseason we mused about the potential or Marcus Peters to use a stint in Tampa Bay as a bridge to a bigger contract in 2024, and that remains an option since he’s still unsigned. Price is a factor for the Bucs, though, as the team has the lowest available cap space in the league which could price them out of guys like Peters — even at a bargain price.

Other guys who could make sense here include Shaquill Griffin, Casey Hayward, or Bryce Callahan. It could end up that the Bucs bring back Logan Ryan on a deal that it’s mutually beneficial, depending on whether he finds work elsewhere in the meantime.

There’s also the safety position to consider, as the Bucs added no new players in the draft there and still have just three on the roster. Tampa Bay did add two undrafted free agents to the position group, but Antoine Winfield Jr., Ryan Neal, and Nolan Turner are the only players with NFL experience.

Daniel Sorensen and Kareem Jackson both stick out as veterans who could make sense at a low price, but once again the salary cap conundrum the Bucs are in is going to limit their ability to add veteran depth unless it’s at the right price.