TAMPA — Buccaneers rookie cornerback Benjamin Morrison did not allow a single reception in coverage against the Cincinnati Bengals in the season opener, stepping in after starter Jacob Parrish went down with a back sprain in the second quarter and locking down a receiving corps that included Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
Morrison, the Bucs’ second-round pick in 2025 out of Notre Dame, finished with four tackles, one for loss, and drew immediate praise from head coach Todd Bowles. “It was great because he was healthy and it was great to see him play and not think about it,” Bowles said. “It was the guy that we saw coming out of college and he did some really good things on Sunday.”
Bowles confirmed that X-rays and an MRI on Parrish’s back came back negative. Morrison played a pivotal role limiting yards after the catch, blowing up several plays in the flat with sound open-field technique honed in Notre Dame’s press-man scheme.
The secondary was not the only unit that announced itself. Linebacker Josiah Trotter became the first player in NFL history to record a pick-six and a sack in his NFL debut, adding 10 tackles — two for loss — against Cincinnati. Trotter’s performance sets up a marquee linebacker matchup this week at Raymond James Stadium against Cleveland Browns second-round pick Carson Schwesinger, who earned Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2025 after posting 156 tackles, 2.5 sacks and two interceptions in 16 games.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield said both young linebackers share elite football instincts. “I think everybody in the NFL saw last year what a smart player he is for a rookie to be able to adapt and play and read out of plays at a high level and it is kind of what you saw from Trot [Josiah Trotter] in Week One, just that high football IQ to trust their instincts, shoot the gap, make aggressive plays but also just fundamentally sound,” Mayfield said. “They are not going to be out of position or have bad technique, so he is a great player that is just going to continue to get better and better.”
Cleveland’s defense enters the matchup under new leadership after Jim Schwartz resigned and the franchise hired Mike Rutenberg as defensive coordinator in 2026. The Browns also lost Myles Garrett but acquired Jared Verse in the trade and retain veterans Denzel Ward and Grant Delpit. Rutenberg comes from the Robert Saleh coaching tree, and Mayfield expects a shift toward more zone coverage — Cover 3 and Cover 4 — after Schwartz’s man-heavy approach powered the fourth-best defense in the NFL last season.
“I think Rutey (Rutenberg), his whole history, is from the Saleh tree and basically the four-down Jet front, quarters, Cover 3 and kind of making it all look the same but it is effort and guys flying to the football and trying to make plays,” Mayfield said. “It is a fundamentally sound scheme and guys just execute with effort.”
The Buccaneers host the Browns on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.