With several investments in the secondary this offseason, the Bucs have proven that they were not entirely happy with the safety and cornerback position group last year.
Cornerback Carlton Davis III was traded to the Lions. Strong safety Ryan Neal was not re-signed. The team reunited with strong safety Jordan Whitehead and brought in competition for slot corner Christian Izien in the form of veteran Tavierre Thomas.
Of note Tampa Bay also brought in former Jets cornerback Bryce Hall.
The move is very intriguing to me. The price tag for Hall ($1.125 million over one year) screams backup depth. But I see more.
As high as the Bucs obviously are on Zyon McCollum, I can’t help but think that even the Bucs are sleeping on Hall’s probability to be one of the two best corners on the team this year.
Bryce Hall Is A Starter-Level Talent
The Jets got a steal in 2020 when they drafted Bryce Hall in the fifth round. He played eight games his rookie season, starting seven and played well at a position where rookies historically struggle. Hall was targeted just 13% of the time and allowed just over one yard per snap. Hall was extremely competitive and particularly excelled in zone coverage working primarily in deep thirds.
“Great in vertical third…” Does that sound like a scheme you may have heard of?
Hall finished his rookie campaign with 36 tackles, three passes defensed and this interception.
Hall’s 79th percentile height and 78th percentile length were fully on display as he picked off Jared Goff.
2021
The following year Hall moved into the starting lineup and improved in several areas.
His catch rate allowed fell from 75% his rookie year to 59% during his sophomore campaign. Hall’s yards allowed per coverage rep. also dropped (from 1.01 to 0.96) and he broke up 16 passes.
It was probably not lost on Bucs general manager Jason Licht and head coach Todd Bowles that he also only missed three tackles in 71 attempts. He continued to excel in zone, allowing just 45 targets, 26 catches and 289 yards on 373 zone coverage snaps. That’s an impressive 12% target rate and 0.77 yards per coverage snap.
Robby Sando of Jets X Factor has an excellent breakdown of Hall from that season.
A Reduced Role For Bryce Hall In 2023
Bryce Hall was poised to break out in 2022, but he fell out of favor with head coach Robert Saleh and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. They brought in someone they had familiarity with in former 49ers cornerback D.J. Reed. Hall barely saw the field in 2022, dressing for just five games and logging 15 total defensive snaps.
In 2023 he was pressed into action more. He played in nine games, starting two, and showing he could still play at an NFL level.
I watched both of his starts in 2023 (Week 5 against Denver and Week 6 against Philadelphia). Hall played at a very high level staying on top of routes, quickly changing direction as he adjusted within his zone to route combinations and playing a physical style of ball.
Competition In Training Camp?
The likelihood that the Bucs give Bryce Hall a chance to win the starting job from Zyon McCollum in training camp is probably low. The team is high on McCollum and didn’t give Hall a very big investment. But I hope they do.
Hall doesn’t have the physical gifts that McCollum has and therefore has a higher ceiling. But Hall’s floor is also higher and I really like his game. Time will tell, but the bottom line is that I really like this signing for Tampa Bay and McCollum needs to be ready to compete in training camp.
