TAMPA — The Bucs invested to upgrade their defensive secondary in the offseason, drafting Vernon Hargreaves in the first round and signing Pro Bowl veteran Brent Grimes at cornerback.
That new pass defense gets a stern test right away Sunday in the season opener against Atlanta wide receiver Julio Jones, who led the NFL with 1,871 receiving yards last season.
"He's a big problem," Bucs CB Alterraun Verner said Monday. "Somebody that you definitely love to have on your team, somebody that you hate guarding against. But that type of challenge, I think, is what we all fuel off of … whoever is going to be guarding him is going to have an opportunity to make a play on the ball.