Bucs Mailbag: Help On The Way For Injury-Riddled Defense?

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Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds answers your questions Pewter Report This Week’s Bucs Mailbag Twitter account. Every week, submit your questions to the Bucs Mailbag via Twitter using the hashtag #PRMailbag. Here are your Bucs questions we’ll answer in this week’s edition:

Question: Kariya Cansey missed part of the offseason with a little-publicized injury. Now it appears to be the same non-contact injury he had last year. How concerning is this and could this result in an IR period? Also, when did Antoine Winfield Jr. get hurt? The defense is devastating.

Buccaneers DT Kariya Kansi – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR

answer: This is concerning. It’s the same area of ​​my calf that I injured last year, and a tear like this never heals. It leaves scar tissue behind. I tore my hamstring while running years ago and it took me months to recover. I’ve never been the same since. Now, I’m not 23 years old like defensive tackle Kalijah Kansey, nor am I a professional athlete with a team of professional trainers.

But what I would say is that because this injury is a recurring injury, Kansey may need to do extra stretching and hydration to prevent it from coming back. He’ll need to spend extra time and do extra things to keep that particular muscle soft. Kansey can’t pretend that it’s healed and won’t come back, because a pulled calf actually means that the calf muscle is torn. Unfortunately, I think he’s learned that lesson now.

I don’t think this will hurt Cunningham’s career going forward, but it certainly won’t be a positive for the Buccaneers as they prepare for a rematch with the Lions in Detroit. The team will have to wait and see how he does this week to determine if his status will be day-to-day or week-to-week. FYI, he missed training camp with a minor knee injury, not a calf injury.

All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. suffered foot and ankle injuries late in the 37-20 win over the Commanders. It’s unclear if he’ll be available for Sunday’s game against Detroit. If Winfield can’t play, Christian Izien will start at free safety next to Jordan Whitehead. The Buccaneers are short on cornerbacks but well-stocked at safeties, with Tavierre Thomas and Kayvon Merriweather in the reserves and Rashad Wisdom and Marcus Banks on the practice squad.

question: Would Patrick Peterson be a logical choice as an outside option to add depth at CB? Given the players currently available and his familiarity with Todd Bowles’ defense, it seems like a no-brainer.

Buccaneers CB Keenan Isaac – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR

answer: No. Patrick Peterson is 34 and clearly declining. He is comfortable in Todd Bowles’ system, having played with him in Arizona, but I’ve heard the Buccaneers are looking for reinforcements and probably won’t be signing him.

If a team signs a cornerback this week, it’s likely Bryce Hall suffers season-ending injury — They’ll want young players and will value talent and athleticism over experience. Todd Bowles isn’t afraid to use young players. Undrafted free agent Tyreek Funderburk was inactive Sunday but is expected to play this week despite missing the 2024 preseason with a foot injury.

But with Zion McCollum (concussion) and Josh Hayes (ankle) sidelined with injuries from Sunday’s game against the Commanders, Jamel Dean and Funderburk are the only two cornerbacks currently healthy, and Tampa Bay may have to sign two cornerbacks this week depending on the team’s situation. The Buccaneers currently have no cornerbacks on their practice squad.

The team waived Andrew Hayes and Chris McDonald Jr., as well as Keenan Isaac, who was acquired by Carolina. Isaac was waived by Carolina on Saturday. So there’s a chance he could return. Any of the three could be candidates. If the coaching staff and personnel department decides they’re talented enough, because they know the tactics of defense, Tampa Bay wants the right fit, not necessarily the biggest name.

Keep in mind that when the Buccaneers were devastated by injuries at cornerback in 2021, the team signed Richard Sherman and Pierre Desir. The future Hall of Famer Sherman was older and quickly got injured. Meanwhile, the lesser known Desir proved to be a better addition, finishing his short tenure with the Buccaneers with just two interceptions. Desir is no longer an option, as he is now 34 and has been out of the league for the past three years.

In other words, I don’t think the Buccaneers will necessarily use players like Xavian Howard, J.C. Jackson or Eli Apple simply because the names are familiar. We’ll see how it goes. Tampa Bay might bring in some cornerbacks to practice on Tuesday and take the best one or two of them.

question: Carlton Davis III has been working with Mike Evans for a long time, so do you think he’ll follow Evans’ lead next week?

Former Buccaneers CB Carlton Davis III and Buccaneers WR Mike Evans – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR

answer: I’m not sure how Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn runs the defense or what his philosophy is when playing the match concept of matching personnel. Todd Bowles doesn’t really do that. Carlton Davis III almost always lined up at left cornerback and Jamel Dean was the right cornerback. Zion McCollum is now playing left cornerback in Davis’ place.

Bowles has used Davis a few times, pitting CDIII against Tyreek Hill in a 27-24 loss to the Chiefs in the 2020 regular season with little success, and also facing Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase in 2022. We know Davis has the size and build to go up against Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan, but it’s unclear how Coach Glenn will use the cornerback.

With Godwin primarily playing in the slot in Liam Cohen’s offense, Davis will likely be matched up on the outside with Evans or the flanking tandem of McMillan and Trey Palmer on Sunday. It’s also worth noting that Davis dropped an interception and was injured in the Lions’ season opener last night. Shocking, right?

question: What do the Buccaneers need to improve on going up against Detroit?

Buccaneers RB Rachad White – Photo courtesy of USA Today

answer: Well, beyond the improved health of the defense, there are certainly some areas for improvement. The interior offensive line needs to continue to stay in sync and get better. Center Graham Burton did a credible job in his first NFL start, and I thought he played well given the challenges of making his debut against Pro Bowl-caliber defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne. Cody Mouch also needs to continue to work on his down-in, down-out consistency.

The pass protection was pretty good for the most part. Baker Mayfield was sacked only once and was forced to scramble only a few times. But the run game still has room for improvement. Run blocking improved as the game went on Sunday, and Washington deserves credit for stopping the run with backfield penetration. Rachel White also needs a bit more urgency when running the ball, or Bucky Irving will eat up his carries.

Tampa Bay’s pass rush was disjointed at times, but there was a reason for that. Outside linebacker Yaya Diaby missed the entire preseason and most of training camp with a sprained ankle. Though he played a good game overall, his rush wasn’t always in sync with his teammates, and it showed. The absence of Kalijah Kansey also hurt the Buccaneers’ pass rush, as Greg Gaines is a better run-stopper.

Another thing Todd Bowles would like to see is turnovers. It’s kind of funny that the Bucs didn’t commit a single turnover on defense in a lopsided 37-20 win over the Commanders. Also, maybe Jake Camarda’s punting could get better. He committed just one turnover on Sunday, and it was for just 38 yards. I’m not sure why he’s not punting as well as he did last year.

question: Do you think Dave Canales regrets taking the coaching job in Carolina?

Panthers head coach Dave Canales – Photo courtesy of USA Today

answer: No, not at all. There are only 32 head coaching positions in the NFL, and if you get offered one, you might as well take it because you might not get it again. It’s a major rebuild, so it might not be ideal, but you can’t blame Dave Canales for taking the Panthers head coaching job. He made hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of dollars and built a foundation for his family’s future retirement.

I think Canales is too much to handle as a head coach and as a play-caller. He spent last year learning on the job as a play-caller for the talented Buccaneers. Now he’s with the Panthers, who are awful, have a fraction of the talent the Buccaneers had, and only have one season of experience as a play-caller.

I don’t have much to say about Bryce Young. He may be a dud. He certainly doesn’t look particularly good. Jameis Winston was a better rookie prospect than Young was last year, so that probably won’t help Canales in the long run.

Look no further than former Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich. He turned down the Jaguars head coaching job after the 2021 season because he wanted his own general manager in Jacksonville. It was foolish of Leftwich to try to make such a power play. The Jaguars ultimately retained general manager Trent Baalke, rescinded the offer, and chose Doug Pederson, a much better head coach and offensive thinker. Leftwich was exposed as a poor play-caller and fired after the 2022 season, when the Buccaneers’ scoring plummeted to 18 points per game. Now, Leftwich is not available for hire, either in the NFL or in college.