Rule changes enacted by the NFL in 2021 have since given players at most positions more options when it comes to choosing jersey numbers. There are still certain ranges of acceptable numbers for each individual position, but they are generally much wider than they used to be.

For example, the jerseys in the 20s can now be worn by wide receivers, running backs, tight ends, defensive backs and linebackers. Don't tell that to the 2026 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, however, because in their case one group of players has completely taken over the 20-29 set. The Buccaneers have nine players in that number range on the 91-man roster (#20 has not been assigned to any player since the retirement of Hall of Famer Ronde Barber) they will be taking into training camp at the end of this month, and all nine are defensive backs. Gone, at least temporarily, are the days of Cadillac Williams sporting #21 or Warrick Dunn dashing around in #28 or Doug Martin making #22 popular.

So we're going to be talking a lot about interceptions and pass breakups in this, our third installment of the annual "Camp Goals" series. This is where we go down that 91-man roster in numerical order and suggest what might be the specific goals in training camp and the preseason for each player on it. The team goals remain the same as every year – regular-season roster construction, determining the starting lineups and absorbing the offensive and defensive playbooks – but every player's situation is a little different.

The list below includes two season-long starters from 2025 but also some newcomers who will be angling for important roles. Also on the list are one of the team's 2026 draft picks and a free agent acquisition who could end up being a leader on special teams.

#21 CB Benjamin Morrison: Morrison was a 2025 second-round draft pick who saw his rookie season slowed somewhat by injuries, and he didn't make his first two career starts until the final three weeks of the campaign, when the secondary was dealing with injuries to Zyon McCollum and Jamel Dean. But now Dean is in Pittsburgh with the Steelers and the Bucs have an opening at one of the outside corner spots opposite McCollum. Among the candidates are Morrison, fellow 2025 draftee Jacob Parrish (if he is not playing solely in the slot) and versatile rookie Keionte Scott. There's a good chance that all three of those young defenders will see some significant playing time on defense in some capacity this season, but Morrison's potential path is more linear because he is not considered a slot candidate like Parrish and Scott. So the goal should be pretty clear, as well as attainable for the former Notre Dame Star in his second NFL training camp: Show that he is the option opposite McCollum. Barring that, he could also end up as part of a rotation in which Parrish starts along with McCollum in base packages but moves into the slot in the nickel, with another defensive back then coming in for the outside corner role. Morrison will certainly have the parallel goal of getting and staying fully healthy in training camp so that he can show off the coverage skills that made him a potential first-round pick in 2025.

#22 DB Keionte Scott: When they got what they viewed as a steal by landing Miami's Scott in the fourth round this past April, the Buccaneers touted his versatility but also said he would start out by learning the slot position in Todd Bowles' offense. As Scott later indicated, he's eager to do any job the team puts in front of him but he is excited to have a shot at landing that specific job. He made his training camp goals pretty clear speaking to the media after a practice at the Bucs' rookie minicamp. "That's a star position on certain teams, and definitely on this team in Coach Bowles' defense," said Scott. "I pride myself on being able to play any position, but the fact that I'm going to be in the nickel and learn from the vets, learning form guys that have been before me, just trying to soak everything up. Try to just get involved any way that I can, whether that be special teams or whatever, just trying to evolve and help my team win."

#23 S Tykee Smith: Smith likely has his sights set high heading into 2026 following a breakout sophomore campaign. After playing primarily in the slot as a rookie – and displaying some early playmaking tendencies – Smith moved into a full-time safety role in 2025 and was, according to Bowles, the Bucs' best player on defense until a late-season shoulder injury slowed him down. The Bucs' defense is in need of more turnovers and big plays, and there could be more opportunities for them in the secondary if the expected improvements to the pass rush come to fruition. Smith will endeavor to be around the football as much as possible, whether it be in run support, middle of the field coverage or as a blitzer.

#24 CB Ayden Garnes: It has become a common, almost expected, occurrence for an undrafted defensive back to make the Buccaneers' 53-man roster out of training camp. Last year, safety J.J. Roberts was considered a lock for that assignment before suffering a season-ending injury in the preseason. In 2024, it was safety Tyrek Funderburk. In 2023, a trio of UDFA defensive backs made the team in Christian Izien, Kaevon Merriweather and Derrek Pitts. Garnes, who went undrafted out of Arizona (and also played at West Virgina) should have his goals set no lower. As noted, the Bucs have a frontline cornerback trio of McCollum, Parrish and Morrison, with the rookie Scott in the mix depending upon what he is classified as. After that, there should be plenty of competition for the final depth spot(s) and nobody in that competition with an extensive NFL track record. Garnes has a nice size-speed combination for the position and made a couple of eye-catching plays during OTA and minicamp practices.

#25 CB Jacob Parrish: There is no doubt that Parrish will have a big role in the Buccaneers' defense after performing well enough last year to land on the PFWA All-Rookie Team in 2025, one of only two cornerbacks selected to the squad. The question for Parrish to answer, with the help of the coaching staff, is how exactly that role will be defined. He was the Bucs' slot defender right out of the gate last season but when injuries thinned the outside corner ranks he proved he could be very effective in that capacity as well. Since the Bucs now have another intriguing slot candidate in Scott, there are a lot of different possibilities regarding how the secondary will be arranged. The Bucs are likely wanting to have Parrish on the field as much as possible, meaning there is a scenario in which he plays both on the outside and in the slot depending upon the personnel packages. Parrish will enter his second NFL training camp simply looking to maintain his upward trajectory and carve out as much playing time as he can.

#26 CB Chase Lucas: The Buccaneers signed Lucas and Kemon Hall in mid-April, adding some much-needed depth to the cornerback room. Lucas was originally a seventh-round draft pick by the Lions in 2022 and he has seen action in 33 regular-season games with Detroit and San Francisco. The majority of his playtime so far has come on special teams, as he was on the field for 72% of those snaps across 12 games with the Lions in 2023 and 53% across 15 games for the 49ers last year. As such, as is the case with most players fighting for roster spots in NFL training camps, displaying his value in the kick-and-coverage phase of the game will be key for Lucas this summer in Tampa. He did get some playing time on defense for San Francisco in 2025 and contributed nine tackles, a pass defensed and a quarterback hit, so he will surely endeavor to show that he can help the Bucs in multiple ways if he earns that roster spot.

#27 CB Zyon McCollum: In the spring of 2024, the Buccaneers were confident enough in McCollum, a 2022 fifth-round pick heading into his third season, that they felt comfortable trading starting corner Carlton Davis to Detroit. McCollum subsequently answered the bell in his first full year as a starter, recording 82 tackles, two interceptions and 17 passes defensed and showing enough to motivate the Buccaneers to sign him to a new multi-year deal just before the start of last season. There was a bit more inconsistency to his play in 2025, however, and Bowles has noted this season that McCollum occasionally had trouble staying focused from down to down when the action didn't seem to be coming his way. McCollum confirmed that Bowles has been stressing this point to him in 2026, so that will surely be a key area of focus for him in training camp. As he put it: "It's just me being focused on the little details. He's been hard on me throughout the summer and throughout these OTAs in terms of bending down, always being in a football-ready position. If the quarterback's not looking to your side, still trying to fight. There's going to be boring times out there at corner. Sometimes, especially in Bowles' defense, he dials it up for all types, everybody's going to get some action. When your numbers not getting called, you've got to hold it down for the rest of the defense, just do your job and fight that boredom."

#28 CB Damarion Williams: Williams was a fourth-round draft pick by Baltimore in 2022 and he played in 14 games as a rookie but he has since seen action in just one regular season game, in 2023 after returning from a stint on injured reserve. He later spent time on practice squads in Baltimore and Seattle before signing to the Bucs' practice squad last September. As such, Williams has had a lot of time to learn Bowles' defense and should head into his first training camp in Tampa with his sights set on working his way back to 53-man roster status. In terms of special teams, the Bucs are likely looking at big changes after struggling in that phase of the game last year and subsequently bringing in long-time special teams guru Danny Smith in the offseason, so there are kick-and-coverage roles up for grabs. And as noted above, the cornerback depth behind the top three on the depth chart is lacking in experience across the board and thus seemingly open for competition.

#29 S Miles Killebrew: After hiring Smith following his 13-year stint with the Steelers, the Buccaneers proceeded to bring one of his star pupils to Tampa to help with the team's special teams revival. Killebrew is a noted special teams ace in the NFL, twice making the Pro Bowl for those skills and even earning first-team All-Pro honors in 2023. He is the league's active leader in blocked punts with four. He only played nine defensive snaps in 22 games over his last two seasons with the Steelers, so it seems obvious that he was brought in primary to help out in the third phase of the game. While working on his own game in training camp this summer, Killebrew could also have as a goal to help Smith set a new culture on special teams. As he put it this offseason: "Well, I'm a little biased: I love [special] teams, always have, and I know how important it is. Danny talks all the time about the hidden yardage out there on the field. So if we can get the drive started in a favorable position for Baker, I know he's going to love it. I know if the defense has to pin an offense down in their own territory, they're going to love it. So it's a team win when your special teams are competing at a high level."