Who Will Lead The Bucs In INTs In 2025?

A brand new Pewter Report Roundtable debuts each Tuesday on PewterReport.com. Every week, the Pewter Reporters deal with one other powerful query. This week’s immediate: Who will lead the Bucs in interceptions in 2025?

Scott Reynolds: Zyon McCollum Will As soon as Once more Lead The Bucs In Interceptions

Bucs cornerback Zyon McCollum made a daring prediction final yr. His acknowledged private purpose was amassing six interceptions through the 2024 season. He grabbed his first two interceptions of his profession final yr, which wound up main the staff together with rookie Tykee Smith. But McCollum wound up 4 picks wanting his purpose. Now getting into a contract yr, I feel McCollum is poised to double final yr’s whole and get 4 interceptions, which ought to lead the Bucs. Plus, he has the inducement of enjoying in a contract yr going for him. The extra interceptions he will get, the more cash he’ll doubtless make.

The final time Tampa Bay had a defensive again produce that many interceptions it was cornerback Carlton Davis III’s 4 picks through the 2020 season – and we all know how tremendous of a season that was for the Bucs. McCollum is predicted to see a while enjoying outdoors cornerback on his acquainted left facet, as he did final yr as Davis’ alternative within the beginning lineup.

Bucs CB Zyon McCollum – Photograph by: USA At present

However head coach and defensive play-caller Todd Bowles has additionally stated that McCollum could also be moved inside to the slot to higher match up towards larger receivers that play inside. Assume Atlanta’s Drake London and Los Angeles’ Puka Nacua – each of whom play inside and outside of their Rams-based offenses. McCollum may have the possibility to snare extra balls on fast slants when he’s enjoying inside if he can soar a few of these routes this season.

McCollum has good arms, evidenced by corralling 15 interceptions in his 5 years at Sam Houston State. He simply must focus extra on catching the ball relatively than settling for cross breakups. Bowles is imploring his cornerbacks to play tighter protection on the line of scrimmage and never present opposing receivers with as a lot cushion. Tighter protection, plus McCollum’s 4.33 pace and his three years value of expertise in Bowles’ system ought to put McCollum in place to snag extra picks this season.

Matt Matera: Benjamin Morrison Can Be A Rookie Sensation

Rookie cornerback Benjamin Morrison might want to discover his manner into Tampa Bay’s beginning lineup within the secondary, or a minimum of get alternatives for lots of enjoying time, but when he does, he can have an ideal influence as a ballhawk. And let’s be actual, many of the gamers within the Bucs secondary will be predisposed to drop interceptions. So are they unexpectedly going to carry onto the ball? 

The inflow of recent gamers like Morrison, who was the staff’s second-round choose, and Jacob Parrish, the Bucs’ third-rounder, might push others to show these cross breakups into interceptions. Morrison has glorious protection abilities and it’s doubtless that groups will problem him early on in his NFL profession even though he had 9 interceptions in his first two seasons at Notre Dame, together with six as a real freshman.

Bucs CB Benjamin Morrison – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR

Coming away with 9 interceptions in school soccer towards good expertise, Morrison’s sport interprets to the NFL stage. He would’ve doubtless been drafted within the first spherical if not for hip surgical procedure that prematurely ended his junior marketing campaign final yr. That’s how gifted Morrison is and the Bucs are excited to see him compete with Jamel Dean in coaching camp for the beginning proper cornerback place.

Final yr, rookie defensive again Tykee Smith tied for the staff lead in interceptions together with cornerback Zyon McCollum, so it’s potential for a rookie to do it once more on the Bucs. This time Morrison takes the interception crown with almost a handful of picks.

Bailey Adams: Extra Snaps, Extra INTs For Tykee Smith

In his 2024 rookie marketing campaign, Tykee Smith picked off two passes, which tied him with Zyon McCollum for the staff lead. One got here within the blowout win over Spencer Rattler and the Saints in New Orleans, whereas the opposite got here towards Aidan O’Connell and the Raiders as Smith performed some lockdown protection on Brock Bowers within the crimson zone.

When the Bucs drafted Smith, there was a little bit of an expectation for him to create some takeaways provided that he has some ball-hawking tendencies. He completed his school profession with a four-interception season at Georgia, in any case.

Bucs DB Tykee Smith – Photograph by: USA At present

Effectively, Smith got here proper in and had two interceptions and three pressured fumbles as a rookie – and he did that whereas lacking 4 video games as a consequence of damage. So, a wholesome Tykee Smith in 2025 ought to be capable to get his arms on extra footballs and repeat because the staff chief in interceptions – maybe with three to 5.

The transfer again to security from the slot ought to create some alternatives for Smith to make use of his excessive soccer IQ and excellent discipline imaginative and prescient to wreak some havoc. He’ll have some competitors in Antoine Winfield Jr., who’s one other candidate to steer the staff in interceptions as he did in 2023 with three. But when Smith can keep wholesome and the transfer to security results in extra snaps per sport as anticipated, I feel he has it in him to get that interception whole up in 2025.

Adam Slivon: Antoine Winfield Jr. Will Return To Type — With Extra INTs

Antoine Winfield Jr., the Bucs’ All-Professional security, didn’t have the season neither he nor the Bucs anticipated after he signed a four-year deal that made him the highest-paid defensive again in NFL historical past on the time. Winfield performed by a foot damage from the beginning of the season and later a knee damage, struggling and solely showing in 9 video games. His play suffered in consequence, however a wholesome yr ought to see him return to type in 2025 because the protection’s high playmaker.

Winfield’s profession yr in 2023 noticed him lead the Bucs in a number of defensive classes, together with interceptions with three. With an improved protection round him this season, much less stress will probably be on Winfield to play at that superhero stage. That also needs to enable him to be extra aggressive on the again finish, leading to extra picks for him and the remainder of the secondary.

Bucs S Antoine Winfield Jr. – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR

In comparison with earlier years, Winfield may have extra competitors on the high of the staff interception leaderboard. Todd Bowles’ protection may have some schematic modifications, doubtless that means cornerbacks will play extra press and be nearer to the ball.

The staff additionally drafted a pair of ballhawks in cornerbacks Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish. Parrish has displayed spectacular ball abilities by the offseason and made his Tampa Bay debut with a pair of pick-sixes through the staff’s rookie mini-camp. At security, Tykee Smith may look even higher this yr with the full-time transfer to robust security. With that stated, I predict Antoine Winfield Jr. will get his arms on the soccer probably the most this season.