Bucs cornerback projected to have a second-year bounce back

In a recent piece from Bleacher Report, Alex Kay identified second-year players poised for expanded roles in 2026, and for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, that spotlight landed on second-year cornerback Benjamin Morrison.

Morrison’s rookie season never fully got off the ground, largely due to injuries. He entered the league recovering from hip surgery and then dealt with a hamstring issue during the preseason that limited his availability early on. By the time he saw meaningful snaps late in the year, he was still trying to find consistency.

The opportunity is clearly there now with Jamel Dean no longer in the picture, Morrison is in line to compete for a starting role on the boundary opposite Zyon McCollum. That’s a pretty big jump for a second-year player, and it puts pressure on him to clean up the issues that showed up in his limited action last season.

In 2025, Morrison played 360 snaps and allowed 23 receptions on 40 targets for 344 yards and three touchdowns, with quarterbacks posting a 110.8 rating when throwing his way. Those numbers reflect the inconsistency, especially in coverage, where he struggled to finish reps and limit big plays.

If Morrison can stay healthy and tighten up his technique, the path to a starting role is wide open. The Buccaneers don’t just need him to improve; they need him to stabilize a position that became a problem late last season.

This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Benjamin Morrison expected to make a leap in Year 2