Richard Sherman is not the young force he was during his prime with the Seattle Seahawks, but the veteran DB still has plenty to offer to an NFL team. Unfortunately, most of Sherman's tenure with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has been marred by the calf injury that saw him land on IR, which he re-aggravated during warmups in mid-November. However, the 33-year-old could be ready to make his way back to action before long.
Via Greg Auman, Bucs head coach Bruce Arians told reporters Monday that Sherman should return to practice this week, though he may not partake in his usual manner. Instead, Arians plans to cross-train Sherman as a safety.
Arians says Richard Sherman is going to start cross-training at safety.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) December 6, 2021
Arians said that he may start giving Sherman some reps at safety when he returns from IR in effort to add some versatility to one of the league's most potent defenses, as well as a means to extend the career of one of football's most iconic defensive backs.
Sherman has been linked with a move to safety in the past, as the topic was brought up during his time with the 49ers. Then, Sherman seemed open to the idea, going as far as to say “everybody makes the transition to safety if you're smart enough to play that game,” so it's hard to imagine he's not on board now.
The Buccaneers' secondary is riddled with injuries, so providing some additional depth at safety in the form of one of the NFL's most experienced defensive backs seems like a wise decision. In Week 13, Tampa deployed Antoine Winfield Jr. and Andrew Adams at safety. Fellow safety Jordan Whitehead was sidelined by injury, while Mike Edwards was serving the first leg of his three-game suspension.
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