Buccaneers Remove CBs Sean Murphy-Bunting and Jamel Dean From COVID-19 List

It's a bit of an understatement to say the Bucs secondary has been in flux throughout 2021, but it looks like that all may change in 2022.

Tampa Bay announced Saturday that cornerbacks Sean Murphy-Bunting and Jamel Dean have cleared COVID-19 protocols and will be able to play in Sunday's game against the New York Jets. SMB and Dean are Tampa Bay's No. 2 and No. 3 corners, respectively, and are huge contributors to the defense.

It's obviously great news when a team is able to retrieve the services of its top-3 corners, but there's a bit more significance to SMB's and Dean's removals than there seems on the surface.

If Antoine Winfield Jr. plays after missing the last two weeks with a foot injury, then it'll be the first time this year that the Bucs' starting secondary of Carlton Davis III, SMB, Jordan Whitehead, and Winfield Jr. will all be on the field at the same time. Whitehead missed the Week 1 matchup against the Cowboys and since then, it's been nothing but a guessing game as to who needs to step up in the secondary due to another player being injured.

The team also announced Saturday that Bruce Arians and Kevin Garver have cleared protocols and will coach against the Jets. Per Rick Stroud of The Tampa Bay Times, both SMB and Dean will fly separately but Arians will fly with the team.

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