Apparently, one night is all it took.
After spending Tuesday evening in Tampa Bay, familiarizing himself with the city and the team, 5-time Pro Bowl cornerback Richard Sherman is signing a one-year deal to join the reigning champs, according to the team.
The news comes following the Bucs’ loss of corners Sean Murphy-Bunting and Jamel Dean. Sherman's arrival shores up a defense that has been in desperate need of a jolt of energy.
The 33-year-old played last season for the San Francisco 49ers but went unsigned to begin the season, allowing the Bucs to swoop in and sign the former Super Bowl champ. Sherman’s usual number, 25, is taken by running back Gio Bernard, so the Bucs announced that Sherman will wear No. 5, according to Greg Auman.
The Stanford grad is already familiar with the GOAT, as the two players met in Super Bowl XLIX (known as the Malcolm Butler game).
Obviously with the Bucs’ current situation at the cornerback position, a change was needed, and Sherman will not only be a solid, dependable corner to play a lot of zone defense, he can also mentor a very young secondary.
Sherman was the key member of that famous Legion of Boom in Seattle, and established a reputation during his time in San Francisco as a mentor and leader for one of the best defenses in the NFL.
Hopefully Sherman can do the same for this struggling Bucs defense, which has given up the most passing yards per game in the league and is in the bottom-10 for points per game.
We’ll see how much he plays in the Bucs’ upcoming matchup with the Patriots Sunday night, as he’ll need a bit of time to learn defensive coordinator Todd Bowles’ system.
I get the feeling Sherman will do just fine.
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This article appears in Sep 23-29, 2021.