TAMPA — Second-year cornerback Jacob Parrish is working a dual role at Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp that the franchise hasn’t deployed since Hall of Famer Rondé Barber made it his signature, lining up at both outside and slot corner with the first- and second-team units during practice.
During Sunday’s session, Parrish opened the first full 11-on-11 period — roughly 45 minutes into practice — as the first-team right outside cornerback. When the second unit rotated in, Parrish stayed on the field and slid into the slot while rookie Ayden Garnes replaced him on the outside. “I feel I’m pretty versatile, so whatever Coach Bowles wants me to do I’ve just got to be ready to go out there and do it,” Parrish said. “I’ve been taking outside reps, I’ve been taking nickel reps. Just trying to stay ahead of the curve so I can go out there at nickel if I’m needed there.”
Head coach Todd Bowles said from the moment the Bucs drafted the 5-10, 198-pound Kansas State product in the third round of the 2025 draft that he believed Parrish could handle outside corner in the NFL despite being widely viewed as a slot-only prospect. Tampa Bay had considered taking him in the second round before selecting fellow corner Benjamin Morrison there instead. “He’s very quick,” Bowles said. “He’s right up there with Zyon [McCollum] as one of our best cover guys, and he can play inside as well, so that makes him very versatile. Him understanding the scheme better in year two and playing more position ball as opposed to just using his athleticism all the time has put him in great position to have a very good camp, and he’s been doing that.”
Parrish played primarily in the slot as a rookie but was pressed into outside duty when injuries thinned the secondary last season. For stretches he started on the outside and then moved inside in nickel packages — the same hybrid alignment Barber ran throughout his career in Tampa. “It’s been fun,” Parrish said. “I played outside corner in college, so it’s not like it’s something new to me. But it’s exciting. I’m just out there trying to learn from Zyon, learn from others and go out there and make some plays.”
With second-round pick Benjamin Morrison sidelined by injury for virtually all of training camp and much of the offseason program, the Bucs’ most common first-team secondary alignment has featured McCollum and Parrish at the outside corners and rookie Keionte Scott in the slot. Whether Parrish opens the regular season as a full-time outside starter or in the hybrid role will likely be determined in the team’s remaining preseason games.