Zyon McCollum’s rising confidence is lifting the Bucs secondary

TAMPA ― Bucs defensive back Zyon McCollum and his brother, Tristin, a safety for the Eagles, knew what to do when the helmet and shoulder pads came off.

During the offseason, they would find an empty high school field or vacant chunk of grass near their mom's home in Dallas, set up cones and practice tackling.

Skin to skin, bare bone to bare bone, identical twins mirroring movements, they took each other to the ground time and time again.

It's the kind of thing the brothers did as kids but were now driven enough to attempt and perfect as NFL players.

"We've been doing it since we were young," Zyon McCollum said. "I was struggling with my tackling. He's always been a pretty good tackler. We said, 'Let's just tackle each other. The only way to get good at tackling is to tackle."

Flash forward to last Sunday at Ford Field in Detroit. The Bucs were clinging to a 20-16 lead in the fourth quarter. Lions running back David Montgomery, at 5-feet-11, 224 pounds, caught a short pass from quarterback Jared Goff and barreled forward with nothing between him and the end zone but the 6-2, 199-pound McCollum.

As Montgomery tried to run through him, McCollum bent forward and lowered his right shoulder into Montgomery's right thigh, flipping him head over heels onto the turf.

"It's like I'm out there with my brother tackling without pads," McCollum said. "We're like, 'We've got to take it back to rugby!"

On the next drive a few minutes later, McCollum would be challenged again, this time through the air.

Trusting what he sees As a rookie fifth-round pick from Sam Houston State in 2022, McCollum's confidence disappeared as quickly as the ball carriers he tried to bring to the ground. Athletically, he would be the most gifted player on almost any team. At the NFL scouting combine, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.33 seconds and had a vertical leap of 39.5 inches.

But he struggled to trust what he saw on film.

"My rookie year, I was trying to jump routes; I was always scared," McCollum said. "I was always fearful. I didn't trust myself. But now that I know I have the coaches' trust, now I'm starting to trust myself. I can really know what I see on film, and when I see it out there in the game, just go for it."

That attitude came to play late Sunday, with the Lions facing third-and-10 at the Bucs' 26-yard line with 14 seconds remaining. Goff tried to connect with receiver Jameson Williams near the right sideline, but McCollum recognized the route concept and broke on the ball, swatting the pass to the ground.

"We're in quarters here," Zyon said, reviewing video of the play. "I'm reading the quarterback, but I have a good view of the receiver, so I can see the receiver through to the quarterback. I saw him drop his hips. I'm coming.

"I love playing with (safety) Jordan (Whitehead), because I know if there's an inside route, Jordan is going to be breaking on it. It's the same way with me when there's an outside route. He knows I'm going to get on top of him. Just knowing it's two-minute, (the Lions) don't have any timeouts, so they're going to be trying to get to the sideline."

The Bucs won the game when Goff's next pass skipped short of Lions receiver Tom Kennedy on fourth down.

McCollum was targeted five times in the game. He finished with four passes defensed and an interception while allowing just one reception for 4 yards. The interception was the first of his career, despite playing 665 snaps at outside corner, 59 at slot corner and 31 at safety in 2023.

"I take my hat off to that young man," Bucs co-defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers said. "When he stepped up last year, and the stuff he did. We put him in a bind with some of the stuff we played and we said, 'You've got it, and you don't have a lot of help.' He took the challenge, and this year some of the plays he's made ...that kid just comes to work every day. I think he's a tremendous player, and he's got a great future."

Meeting of the minds Of course, McCollum has benefitted from lessons taught by defensive backs coach Kevin Ross. But he also shares a special relationship with head coach Todd Bowles, the defensive play-caller and former safety who played eight seasons for Washington and San Francisco.

Every afternoon after practice, McCollum and several of his teammates in the secondary make their way to Bowles' office to review video.

"I give him different pointers than the DB coaches give him," Bowles said. "Things they can key on and go out and play, so it's a good mix between of all of us. It's him, (Jamel) Dean, Antoine Winfield (Jr.), Jordan (Whitehead), K.J. Britt ― it's a whole slew of people.

"It's turned into an afternoon festivity. He comes in, and he gets it. It doesn't take him a long time. He's seeing it, and he's trusting what he's seeing. He's really sharp now."

McCollum also is an avid note taker who is determined to avoid making the same mistake twice.

"Going into the offseason, I go through everything," he said. "I withdraw those notes, so when I go into the OTAs or I go into training camp, all those mistakes I've made in the past, I already know them and I've already worked on them."

"... Everything that happened in my rookie year, I tried to fix that in my second year. What I messed up my second year, I'll just keep on trying to fix it in my third year. I'll just keep on doing that, and we'll see where we can go."

The Bucs were so sure about McCollum's potential that they traded starting cornerback Carlton Davis to the Lions during the offseason .

How far can McCollum go? If his performance the first two weeks is any indication, a trip to the Pro Bowl would seem reasonable.

"I feel like I know how good I can be," he said. "I try not to get into all that, because I'm doing everything I can do to get myself into position to allow me to make those plays. I figure when my career is said and done, then I'll be able to look back and enjoy it. But as long as I'm still playing football, my only focus is getting better."

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