Bills Linked to Intriguing Buccaneers' CB Amid Secondary Concerns

Through four games, the Buffalo Bills have struggled in pass coverage, surrendering 1,025 yards and 10 touchdown passes. They're currently ranked 27th in the NFL in defensive passing yards and 29th in defensive passing touchdowns.

Making matters worse is the lack of turnovers being created by the secondary. Entering Week 5, the Bills have just two interceptions. One from C.J. Gardner-Johnson and another from Dee Alford. The concerns with their passing defense have been well documented and that's why PFF's Bradley Locker says the Bills would be a logical landing spot for Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Zyon McCollum.

The Bucs recently won their first game of the season, taking out the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football, but they're still just 1-4 on the year. Chances are high that they could look to stockpile draft picks to reload their roster. If so, McCollum would be an intriguing name, even though he didn't shine during the first four games of the season.

"McCollum enjoyed a tremendous start to the 2024 season, but since then, his production has certainly waned. Over the first four games of 2026, McCollum sports just a 58.3 PFF coverage grade, although his passer rating against (80.4) and forced incompletion rate (13.3%) are both in at least the 60th percentile," Locker wrote. "In the first year of a three-year, $48 million extension, McCollum is another defender the Buccaneers could look to shed."

In Week 5, McCollum reminded everyone why he was given that contract to begin with. The fifth-round pick out of Sam Houston State was excellent in coverage during their win over Dallas. He stuck with CeeDee Lamb and surrendered no receptions while being targeted just twice.

Zyon McCollum could help fix Bills' secondary

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb attempts to make a catch against Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Zyon McCollum. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

At 6-foot-2 and 199 pounds, McCollum offers excellent size and uses his long arms to disrupt the opposing receiver. He did that throughout the night against Lamb and would bring some instant credibility to a Buffalo secondary that has been suspect.

General manager Brandon Beane might be hesitant to make a move after using a first-round pick on Maxwell Hairston in 2025 and a second-round selection on Davison Igbinosun in 2026. He also recently signed Christian Benford to a lucrative extension.

That said, they fired Sean McDermott because he didn't get to the Super Bowl, meaning they were selling their fan base on urgency. Sitting back and doing nothing to fix the secondary would run counter to that urgency.

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