The NFL has a problem right now, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie second-round pick Benjamin Morrison is directly involved. In fact, Morrison is actually one of 30 second rounders who has yet to sign his rookie deal, as we speak.
The issue stems from these second-round picks having a desire for fully-guaranteed contracts after seeing the Houston Texans do so with wide receiver Jayden Higgins.
Now, with Morrison still unsigned and training camp on the horizon, that could force Morrison, along with many others, to miss the early portion of these practices.
If Morrison does, indeed, miss some camp, that opens the door for 2023 sixth-round pick Josh Hayes to get more valuable reps.
Josh Hayes won't be too buried on the depth chart so long as Benjamin Morrison remains unsigned
Morrison likely slots in as a reserve to start camp, but would probably be the first man in line to take over a starting job if something happened with either Zyon McCollum or Jamel Dean.
Now, with Morrison being in danger of missing valuable camp time, that allows Hayes the opportunity to be right back up there as maybe the top reserve. Since coming out of Kansas State two years ago, Hayes has been active for 30 games while starting three.
He has tallied three pass breakups (all last season) and a total of 52 tackles.
The problem is his passer rating allowed, last year, of 124.8 per Pro Football Reference. Maybe the most damning stat was Hayes giving up four touchdowns while being targeted just 33 times. In coverage, he was less than dependable.
Now, going into Year 3, Hayes needs to force this Bucs staff to believe in him enough to start thinking about a second contract with the team.
Cornerback depth has been an issue for the Bucs in recent years, and Hayes still has the chance to be a long-term solution in that realm. The early reps in camp could make a difference in his outlook going into his third NFL season, but he'll have to take advantage.