Safety Jordan Whitehead Has High Praise For Tampa Bay Buccaneers Third-Year Corner

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers secondary could take a leap in 2024.

Jan 16, 2022; Tampa, Florida, USA;Tampa Bay Buccaneers free safety Jordan Whitehead (33) celebrates as inside linebacker Devin White (45) sacks Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) during the first quarter in a NFC Wild Card playoff football game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports / Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers secondary will look a bit different this year than it has the past couple of years after some offseason changes, but there will be a bit of familiarity at one of the positions as the Bucs brought back former safety Jordan Whitehead after a two-year vacation in New York with the Jets to reconnect with Antoine Winfield Jr. on the backend of the secondary.

Outside of Whitehead's return to Tampa Bay and the position battle at the nickel corner spot, the other glaring difference in the Bucs' secondary is the emergence of Zyon McCollum as a starting cornerback opposite of Jamel Dean after the team shipped former starting CB Carlton Davis III to Detroit.

Whitehead has rounded out his all-around game since the last time we saw him in Tampa Bay and McCollum has continued to develop throughout his early career, improving each season and showing enough for the staff to have confidence in him as a starter heading into 2024.

When speaking to the media before Tuesday's Day (night) 6 practice, Whitehead was gleaming over what he's seen from Zyon McCollum last year and his overall thoughts on the young CB now that he will be playing alongside him.

"I watched Zyon last year a little bit, just from the TV, and he was playing all types of positions at safety, nickel [cornerback] and corner. He definitely was somebody who stood out just because he was playing every position, but just being here with him in this first couple of weeks of camp, he's been doing a great job out there defending Mike [Evans] – he's had a lot of good plays against Mike this camp. He's a smart guy, he's fast, he's strong, he plays man[-to-man coverage], he's long. He has it all to be a great corner, and he's been working. Ever since I came in in OTAs, he's been working. He's been doing great so far."

READ MORE: Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield Tells Hilarious Story of Hitting Antoine Winfield Jr.'s Car

McCollum's versatility was on full display in 2023 and he showed that he could hold his own at all three levels of the secondary. That versatility, along with his development in all facets of his game, is a large reason why the Buccaneers believe that he can be that next lockdown corner for them.

Zyon has impressed thus far into camp, making play after play, and as mentioned by Whitehead, doing it against some of the top wide receivers in the league. If McCollum can continue his torrid pace then he is in for perhaps the best year of his career and could be on his way to reaching his goal of six interceptions.

The Bucs' defense struggled in some areas last season, but it finally is showing signs of life in those areas with how they have performed this offseason.

READ MORE: Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield Tells Hilarious Story of Hitting Antoine Winfield Jr.'s Car

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