Buccaneers Bring Former Sixth Round Pick in After Injuries
With a rash of injuries to their secondary, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers brought in a pair of NFL veteran cornerbacks to see if they might be able to help.
“Buccaneers worked out Arthur Maulet, Duke Shelley,” NFL reporter Aaron Wilson wrote on his official X account on October 3.
The Buccaneers have already ruled out cornerbacks Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish for a Week 5 road game against the Seattle Seahawks, as well as safety Christian Izien.
Dean had his first interception return for a touchdown since 2020 with a 55-yard touchdown against the New York Jets in Week 3 but injured his hip in a Week 4 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Morrison, a 2025 second round pick (No. 84 overall) out of Notre Dame, missed the season opener with a minor soft tissue injury and injured his hamstring against the Eagles.
Morrison missed the last 10 games of the season for the Irish in 2024 with a hip injury.
Shelley Sixth Round Pick in 2019 NFL Draft
Maulet made the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and has played for 5 teams over the last 7 seasons, including the Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers, Jets and Baltimore Ravens. In 85 career games, he has 23 starts with 4 interceptions.
Shelley was a sixth round pick (No. 205 overall) by the Chicago Bears out of Kansas State in the 2019 NFL draft.
He played the first 3 seasons of his career with the Bears before spending 2022 with the Minnesota Vikings, 2023 with the Los Angeles Rams and 2024 with the New York Giants.
In 53 career games, Shelley has played in 53 games with 11 starts, 14 pass deflections and 1 interception.
If Shelley does land on the roster, it would give the Buccaneers a pair of former Kansas State stars in the secondary alongside 2025 third round pick (No. 84 overall) Jacob Parrish.
Parrish Gaining Attention as Rookie Starter
Through 4 games, Parrish has already established himself as one of the NFL’s best rookie defenders and a player who the Buccaneers might be able to count on for years to come.
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler picked Parrish as the NFL’s top rookie cornerback at the quarter season mark.
“After emerging as a viable nickel during training camp, Parrish helped stabilize the back end of Tampa Bay’s defense,” Brugler wrote on October 2. “He has been terrific working downhill (tied for second among all rookies with three tackles for loss) and sticky in coverage (two passes defended, zero receptions allowed of more than 10 yards, according to PFF). His speed, fluidity and aggressive nature made it easy to bet on him as a prospect, and — so far — Parrish has outplayed his draft slot.”
That puts him ahead of the 2 cornerbacks taken in the first round — Denver’s Jahdae Barron and Buffalo’s Maxwell Hairston — along with 7 more cornerbacks taken ahead of him in the second and third rounds.
Going back and watching the Eagles offense and something that jumped out … the Bucs rookie CBs are legit,” ESPN’s Mina Kimes wrote on October 1. “3rd round slot CB Jacob Parrish is already playing at such a high level. Closes with violence, tackles well, sticky in coverage.”
Daniel Jones Breaks Top-10 Greatness with Colts
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones has had a great start to his first year in the Circle City. Despite falling in a dramatic tilt against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 4, his four-game sample with Shane Steichen has been unlike anything anyone expected before the season started.
Jones now sets his eyes on a golden opportunity to help the Colts return to the win column against the Las Vegas Raiders, who rank 21st in the NFL in passing yards allowed with 913. Given how well Jones has played, this is a game where he can shine.
Pro Football Focus' Nick Akridge put together his QB ranking ahead of Week 5, showing immense respect to Jones by placing him eighth overall. Jones is among names like Justin Herbert (9) and Josh Allen (7).
Below are some prominent quarterback metrics from Jones, along with his rank in the NFL for each. These numbers display how effective the former sixth-overall pick has been through four games with the Colts.
-Passing Yards | 1,078 (3rd)
-Completion Percentage | 71.9 (4th)
-Completions | 87 (tied - 9th)
-QBR | 79.1 (1st)
-Passer Rating | 103.3 (8th)
After six seasons of consistently underwhelming performances with the New York Giants, Steichen has Jones playing better than he's ever shown in his veteran career under center.
Jones' career resurgence is reminiscent of what Sam Darnold (now with the Seattle Seahawks) accomplished last year with the Minnesota Vikings. Darnold's career was nothing short of a pure dumpster fire with the hapless New York Jets franchise.
However, once Darnold was under the tutelage of a true QB whisperer like Kevin O'Connell, he found incredible rhythm. Darnold finished 2024 with 35 touchdown passes, 4,319 passing yards, a 66.2 completion percentage, and a Pro Bowl nomination.
Now, Jones is doing the same with a QB-savvy coach like Steichen and Indianapolis.
For Jones to have gone from what he was perceived as in New York, to one of the NFL's most efficient quarterback is a testament to the talent he had the entire time, and Steichen's ability to mold those attributes into a great signal-caller.
If Jones can be as consistent as he's been through the young 2025 season for the rest of it, he'll conclude as a potential Comeback Player of the Year candidate. Jones has season totals of seven all-purpose scores (four passing, three rushing) and a great ability to spread the wealth in the offense.
Jones has become a great leader for Steichen's offense and has gelled with players like Jonathan Taylor, Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs, Alec Pierce, and Tyler Warren. Along with an impressive offensive line, Jones is playing comfortably, confidently, and like a winner.
Anything can happen in the NFL week-to-week, but Jones has a great matchup on paper ahead against the struggling Raiders at home. If he can get a victory while playing turnover-free and clean football, he'll regain the momentum the team lost against the Rams.
