TAMPA — Buccaneers cornerback Zyon McCollum issued a bold declaration ahead of the 2026 season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, promising his secondary will hunt interceptions against quarterback Joe Burrow and his elite receiving corps at Paycor Stadium on Sunday.
“They want to get their season started off right and they are looking to get into a rhythm early so the ball is guaranteed to go into the air and a ball in the air belongs to us,” McCollum said after practice Wednesday. “This is an incredible opportunity for us and there will be no better feeling than when you take away three, four interceptions.”
McCollum and fellow starting cornerback Jacob Parrish will draw the assignment of containing Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, a pair of big-bodied targets who rank among the NFL’s most dangerous receiving duos. Chase posted 125 catches for 1,412 yards in 2025 despite offensive adjustments around him, and Higgins remains a red-zone force whose physicality and body control create problems for defensive backs at every level of the field.
Burrow missed nine games last season with a toe injury but remains one of the league’s most precise passers when healthy. His ability to throw receivers away from coverage and anticipate windows makes the Bengals’ passing attack a Week 1 stress test for any secondary.
“You are going to have guaranteed opportunities,” McCollum said of facing Cincinnati’s aerial attack. “That is the mentality that we have, and we are going into the game thinking and we know that we are going to get tested early.”
Both franchises missed the postseason in 2025, adding urgency to the opener as Tampa Bay pursues another NFC South title. Parrish, who locked up the starting spot opposite McCollum, brings route recognition and short-area quickness that the Buccaneers will need against Chase’s ability to turn screens and hitches into explosive gains.
Kickoff at Paycor Stadium is set for Sunday.