Latest news with #BenjaminMorrison
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Insider Reveals Tampa Bay Buccaneers Top Remaining Offseason Priority
Insider Reveals Tampa Bay Buccaneers Top Remaining Offseason Priority originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will return all 11 starters from one of the top-ranked offenses in the NFL next season, while adding depth to the unit at the same time. Advertisement But it's the defense that was a focus for general manager Jason Licht this offseason, including the draft, where he selected corners Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish in the second and third rounds, respectively. With a crowded secondary, Kevin Petra believes figuring out the pecking order is Tampa Bay's offseason priority. "The Bucs have suggested they will move Tykee Smith -- who played well as a rookie nickel last season -- to safety opposite Antoine Winfield Jr. to help ensure Smith stays on the field in base sets," Petra wrote. "Todd Bowles reiterated this week that Smith is a safety who will, on occasion, play nickel. Moving Smith around will give Bowles a chess piece to work with. Rookie Jacob Parrish is an option to take over Smith's nickel spot, and Bowles suggested Zyon McCollum could also move inside. Tampa used its second- and third-round picks in this year's draft on corners Benjamin Morrison and Parrish, respectively, to upgrade a unit that both struggled at times in 2024 and dealt with injuries. "If Morrison and Parrish are ready to play right away, Smith's transition to safety will be easier. If the nickel crew struggles, Bowles might have to adjust on the fly, potentially adding another veteran safety to the mix." Advertisement The Bucs' defense finished near the bottom of the NFL last season in most defensive statistical categories. That's disappointing when your head coach is also your defensive coordinator. Related: Buccaneers Offensive Star Ranked Near Top of NFL Related: Bucs Star Defender Reveals Hardest Offensive Coaches to Game Plan Against This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on May 31, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
2025 NFL Draft's best reaction might be Notre Dame's Benjamin Morrison in tears: 'I'm not gonna let you down man'
Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison suffered a season-ending hip injury in October. He couldn't play during the Fighting Irish's run to the College Football Playoff championship game, and the health questions clouded his draft evaluation somewhat. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers looked past it Friday and selected Morrison with the 53rd overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft. Morrison couldn't hold back his emotion on a call with Bucs head coach Todd Bowles, telling him, "Man, I'm not gonna let you down man. I promise you, man." The best Draft call reaction you'll see all weekend 🥲The Krewe is lucky to have you, @BMoe_21! — Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) April 26, 2025 Yahoo Sports NFL Draft expert Charles McDonald gave the pick an "A" grade, comparing Morrison's upside to Asante Samuel Jr. and D.J. Reed: Morrison's season was cut short with a season-ending injury, but before that he was the instinctive, playmaking cornerback everyone would love to have. He's still rehabbing a hip injury, so he might be a nice stash pick for the Bucs.
USA Today
19-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Former Notre Dame cornerback should be ready for NFL training camp
Former Notre Dame cornerback should be ready for NFL training camp The former Fighting Irish could compete to start with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Former Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison is expected to be ready for his first NFL training camp after suffering a hip injury last season, according to Pro Football Rumors. Morrison, who was hurt in a win against Stanford, was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second round of the NFL draft. He was the 53rd pick overall. He's recovering from a hip labral tear, and Bucs general manager Jason Licht did say Morrison could "probably" be ready for organized team activities (OTAs) but the team is taking a cautious approach due to Morrison's history -- he'd suffered the same injury to his other hip in high school. He also missed most of spring practice in 2024 due to shoulder surgery. If he's ready to go, Morrison could be ready to play come opening day, though whether he earns a starting job remains to be seen. He'd obviously need to be healthy to compete for a starting slot -- and now, he might be. Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions. Follow Tim on X: @tehealey
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
2025 NFL Draft's best reaction might be Notre Dame's Benjamin Morrison in tears: 'I'm not gonna let you down man'
Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison suffered a season-ending hip injury in October. He couldn't play during the Fighting Irish's run to the College Football Playoff championship game, and the health questions clouded his draft evaluation somewhat. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers looked past it Friday and selected Morrison with the 53rd overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft. Morrison couldn't hold back his emotion on a call with Bucs head coach Todd Bowles, telling him, "Man, I'm not gonna let you down man. I promise you, man." The best Draft call reaction you'll see all weekend 🥲The Krewe is lucky to have you, @BMoe_21! — Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) April 26, 2025 Yahoo Sports NFL Draft expert Charles McDonald gave the pick an "A" grade, comparing Morrison's upside to Asante Samuel Jr. and D.J. Reed: Morrison's season was cut short with a season-ending injury, but before that he was the instinctive, playmaking cornerback everyone would love to have. He's still rehabbing a hip injury, so he might be a nice stash pick for the Bucs.
Hamilton Spectator
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Benjamin Morrison says he felt people gave up on him before the Buccaneers selected him at No. 53
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Benjamin Morrison burst into tears when he got the long-awaited call from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second round of the NFL draft last month. 'Thank you for believing in me,' Morrison told coach Todd Bowles in one of the most emotional videos of the three days. A star cornerback at Notre Dame whose season ended in October following a hip injury, Morrison was still considered a first-round pick by many analysts, with some rating him as the No. 1 player at his position. But he had to wait until the 53rd pick to hear his name called. Morrison explained his raw emotion Friday when the Buccaneers kicked off rookie camp. 'It was just the year that I had last year, going into the year, understanding I was one of the top corners, and then you get injured, and then you feel like you're forgotten about, and there's so many things behind closed doors that many people don't know that I had to go through last year with just uncertainty of my hip, the combine process, all that stuff,' Morrison said. 'So it honestly felt like a lot of people gave up on me. And, I'm still a kid in the day. I'm growing up. I still have to have those growing pains. So it was tough. But at the end of the day, I mean God doesn't make mistakes. I landed at the right spot. It kind of validated this when I walked through the doors. This is the place I'm supposed to be at. My mom was like: 'You're on a mission. God sent you here for a reason and go attack it.'' Morrison participated in positional drills on the field but sat out the team periods as he continues to recover from surgery. Morrison's dad, Darryl Morrison, played four seasons in the NFL as a defensive back after Washington selected him in the sixth round in 1993. He played with Bowles his rookie season so he gave his son input on his new coach. 'He was like, honestly, straight to the point, he's matter of fact. And he's just like what you got on the phone is what you're going to get. He's a good dude, great man, cares about his players and things like that,' Benjamin Morrison said about his dad's thoughts on Bowles. The four-time defending NFC South champion Buccaneers are counting on Morrison to bolster a secondary that finished fourth-worst in passing yards allowed in each of the past two seasons. The 6-foot, 190-pound Morrison had six interceptions as a freshman in 2022 and three picks along with a team-high 10 pass breakups in 2023, when he was a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, which is given to the top defensive back in college football. His experience playing for a high-profile college program should help him make a smooth transition to the next level. 'It's a national stage every single week,' Morrison said about Notre Dame. 'I opened up my first-ever game at 18 years old playing Ohio State. So for me, it's just prepared me to go against the best. Look at the guys I've gone against in college, different body types who are excelling in the NFL at a high level. So for me, it gave me that wide variety of different receivers and then also just the man that Notre Dame kind of molded me to be. I went there a boy and came out a man, just through my coaching staff, the people around me, even my players. Having guys like Cam Hart, even Kyle Hamilton coming back to school, just seeing the way they operate, it's inspiring for a young kid like me and I was like I wanna be like that one day.' ___ AP NFL:
