Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Brent Grimes may need to replicate 2016

At the age of 34, Brent Grimes is coming off a resurgent 2016. Can the veteran cornerback continue the success for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2017?

To say Brent Grimes enjoyed a good 2016 season would be a tremendous understatement. The ex-Atlanta Falcon and Miami Dolphin had a phenomenal year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Grimes was one of the best cornerbacks in the league last season.

In fact, Grimes’ production earned him a grade of 90.2 from Pro Football Focus Edge. That grade was No. 4 among cornerbacks, and also classified Grimes as elite. The 5-10 cornerback played in all 16 games, and recorded four interceptions and 24 passes defended.

However, Grimes is now 34. His youth has evaporated, and he’s now a year older. Despite his great 2016, few players can perpetually outrun Father Time. It’s fair to wonder whether Grimes can enjoy another productive season.

NFL Media insider Gregg Rosenthal touched upon Grimes in a piece in which he highlighted a weak spot for every NFC team.

"Brent turning in one of the most randomly dominant seasons ever for an aging cornerback. Expecting Grimes to back that up at 34 years old is unfair, and the Bucs are very thin after their starters at the position. The team will be targeted in a pass-happy division."

Calling Grimes’ age into question is entirely relevant. While history indicates cornerbacks over the age of 30 begin to significantly taper off, guys like Grimes and Terrence Newman (39 by kickoff) have seemingly changed that theory.

More from Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Although Grimes is getting older, his athleticism hasn’t left him. Grimes has been one of the league’s most explosive players for a long time, even after suffering a torn Achilles after the 2011 season. That kind of explosion was still on display last year. Grimes’ premier trait is his ability to quickly explode in and out of his cuts.

It allows him to make breaks on the ball faster than the average cornerback. Grimes’ leaping ability also allows him to play bigger than his frame. That allows him to find success against bigger receivers like Kelvin Benjamin.

However, Grimes is currently dealing with an injury, which has kept him out of preseason action. According to the RotoWire staff, Grimes is recovering well from a lacerated shin, and is in no clear danger of missing the regular-season opener.

Tampa Bay needs him for Week 1, too. The Buccaneers face the Miami Dolphins, a team that features a triad of dynamic wide receivers. How Grimes plays against Jarvis Landry, Kenny Stills and DeVante Parker will be interesting, and could very well indicate what type of season he’ll have. The simple fact is Tampa Bay doesn’t necessarily have a wealth of depth at the cornerback spot. While Vernon Hargreaves figures to improve on his rookie campaign, Grimes is still the team’s No. 1 corner.

Since it appears Grimes remains his typical explosive, athletic self, there’s no real reason to believe he’ll take a major step back in 2017. It also helps that Grimes lines up every day at practice against one of the NFL’s most dangerous group of pass-catchers. I would think having to check Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson on a regular basis would help prevent a cornerback from getting rusty. Iron sharpens iron, after all.

Next: One potential Hall of Fame candidate from each NFL team

The bottom line is, Tampa Bay needs Grimes to be at least a semblance of the player he was a year ago. The Buccaneers face Matt Ryan, Cam Newton and Drew Brees a combined six times. If Grimes is fine from his injury, he should be able to turn in another good year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He remains an absurd athlete, and he has the experience to go along with that. And plus, the Bucs can’t really afford for Grimes to regress.

Home/Tampa Bay Buccaneers