The Tennessee Titans have agreed to terms on a one-year deal with former Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback, Sean Murphy-Bunting, the team announced on Monday.
It was reported early Monday morning that the two sides were closing in on a one-year deal for up to $5 million, but Murphy-Bunting and the Titans were slated to have a visit first.
Murphy-Bunting joins a promising but inexperienced and injury-riddled group that was very disappointing in 2022, mostly because of injuries.
The 25-year-old cornerback, who started in 13 of the 21 games he played in the past two seasons, offers slot and outside versatility, speed, and experience with a Super Bowl ring and six career playoff games that have seen him tally three picks, all of which came in the aforementioned 2020 run.
A former second-round pick of the Bucs in 2019, Murphy-Bunting posted his best campaign in coverage in 2022 (at least based on stats), with career-bests in completion rate against (51.2%) and passer rating allowed (59.6).
Pro Football Focus credited Murphy-Bunting with an impressive 80.9 coverage grade overall.
While that all sounds great, those who cover the Bucs aren’t high on him. Here’s what River Wells of Bucs Wire had to say when I asked him if Murphy-Bunting is a quality starter:
“I don’t [think he is],” Wells said. “Murphy-Bunting is a talented piece that could serve as good depth and he’s shown some potential over the years, but even when he has been on the field after recovering from his injuries, he’s been a very frustrating corner to watch on game days.”
Then there’s Jon Ledyard, the former Buccaneers beat writer and current NFL draft analyst who had this to say about Murphy-Bunting:
He’s pretty bad fellas. Not trying to be a downer. He has awesome tools. But some of the worst instincts I’ve seen. Played in basically every coverage scheme and inside and outside too. For a team that has developed a ton of good DBs. Nothing worked
— Jon Ledyard (@LedyardNFLDraft) March 20, 2023
Womp, womp.
Another concern with Murphy-Bunting is his injury history. The Central Michigan product has missed 13 games since 2021.
As far as his spot on the depth chart goes, Murphy-Bunting should factor in as the No. 4 cornerback behind the trio of Kristian Fulton, Roger McCreary and Elijah Molden, but that’s assuming all goes well and they stay healthy.
If we’ve learned anything from watching the Titans over these past few years, none of that is guaranteed, which makes the addition of Murphy-Bunting a good one for Tennessee.
