In the wake of a key injury in their secondary, the Buccaneers are signing a notable name. Tampa Bay has added veteran corner Pierre Desir, Greg Auman of The Athletic tweets.
However, Desir will report to the practice squad initially instead of the active roster. The move comes after starting corner Sean Murphy-Bunting suffered an elbow injury in the Bucs’ opener that will have him sidelined for at least a few weeks. Not too long ago Desir was a highly regarded corner, although his stock has dropped sharply the past couple of years.
Last year he started eight games for the Jets, racking up eight passes defended and three interceptions, but was cut in November. He then spent the rest of the year with Baltimore but barely played. Originally a fourth-round pick of the Browns back in 2014, Desir rose to prominence with the Colts.
He started 23 games for Indianapolis between 2018-19, and was given a three-year contract worth $22.5MM in March of 2019. He got $12MM guaranteed, but made it just one year into that pact.
Desir, who turned 31 last week, will give Tampa some solid depth and a veteran presence in their young secondary.
Basically, if you were a coveted player in 2015, the Bucs or Cards want you.
Joking aside, I was a bit surprised that Desir fell so fast. The Bucs’ system and front seven talent seem to make it relatively simple for their boundary corners, which should be good for a new corner to pick it up.