Final Buccaneers 53 man roster predictions: Who makes the cut and who doesn’t?

Cornerback (5)

Carlton Davis III and Jamel Dean make up one of the best cornerback duos in the entire league, but there’s a lot of unproven talent behind them on the depth chart.

The Bucs know what they’re getting in Davis and Dean, the latter of whom joined Lavonte David in deciding to remain in Tampa Bay rather than leave in free agency. Dean’s expected departure was so big that it was dictating how experts were interpreting the Bucs draft strategy, so when he decided to come back on a rather team-friendly deal, it was huge.

It’s when you get to the rest of the group that things start to get a little less sturdy. Dee Delaney had an impressive second game of the preseason against New York, coming up with a pair of interceptions even though only one of them actually counted. He projects to be one of the nickel corners alongside Christian Izien and there’s hope that he can build on his strong preseason performance.

Zyon McCollum is a different story. His roster spot never seemed to be in any real danger, but he didn’t do himself any favors during the preseason. McCollum struggled in coverage and with tackling, two things that opened him up to potentially lose his spot to one of the hungry young rookies fighting for a job. McCollum is probably safe — for now — but his leash can’t be very long.