4 former Tampa Bay Buccaneers we’d like to see return in 2024
By Josh Hill
Sean Murphy-Bunting, CB
Another unfortunate cap casualty last year who could be primed to return is Sean Murphy-Bunting.
He sort of hit a rough patch during his last season in Tampa Bay, but for most of his career with the Bucs he was another one of Jason Licht's draft hits that have been touted so much in recent years. Much like Mike Edwards, the loss of Murphy-Bunting wasn't felt until later in the season when the Bucs secondary got beaten down by injuries and beat up by opposing offenses.
One game in particular saw things bottom out. During Week 3's loss to the Eagles, Jamel Dean and Carlton Davis III both needed to be sidelined which meant Todd Bowles needed to rely on guys like Derrek Pitts to fill in the gaps. Even in games where Davis and Dean were healthy, they looked like shells of their former selves and the lack of depth was painfully apparent.
Murphy-Bunting didn't light things up in Tennessee the same way Edwards did, but he gained the respect of head coach Mik Vrabel almost right away. He grew and so did the Bucs, and perhaps the time apart was exactly what everyone needed before coming back together to re-live the good ol' days and reclaim some glory.