As teams prepare for the start of the preseason, the only real bad news for teams circulating right now are injuries. Unfortunately, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers haven’t been able to avoid the wave. On Wednesday, head coach Todd Bowles announced that rookie cornerback Benjamin Morrison tweaked his hamstring in practice on Tuesday. The severity wasn’t revealed, but the corner was held out of practice on Wednesday.
With Tampa Bay having its first preseason game on Saturday, Morrison will likely miss the game if he can’t return to practice this week. It’s an unfortunate setback for the corner, as training camp and the preseason are crucial for the development of rookies. Hopefully, he’ll be back on the field sooner rather than later.
Benjamin Morrison misses Buccaneers practice after tweaking hamstring
Morrison was selected in the second round of the 2025 Draft, but many believe he’s a first-round talent. The reason he slid to pick No. 53 is because of a hip injury that required surgery during his final season at Notre Dame. That kept teams away in the first round, but Tampa was willing to call his name in the second because of his undeniable talent.
After being drafted, the belief was that Morrison would compete for a starting spot if he could stay healthy. Throughout camp, that’s exactly what was taking place, as the rookie impressed when he was on the field. Unfortunately, everything will now come to a halt as he deals with this hamstring issue. Considering the nature of hamstrings, it’ll be best to fully heal up, so it doesn’t become a nagging issue throughout the season.
Morrison is currently penciled in as the second string corner behind Jamel Dean. Whenever he’s back on the field, he will return to that spot on the depth chart, and continue his fight for a starting role in the secondary.