Ronald Darby may not be the most obvious choice, at first glance, for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason in free agency, but he could be crucial to the team's success.
Let's take a look at a few reasons why this is so.
3. He gets along well with Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston
According to NBC Sports, there's a few reasons for that, but the main reason being that they go back several years and are, in fact, friends.
When the word got out that Winston allegedly groped an Uber driver inappropriately, Darby was the first to leap to his defense. In fact, he revealed in a statement that he was present in the car that night in March 2017, and immediately set the record straight about what happened.
“There were three of us in the car, not just one, as has been reported. Myself and Jameis were in the backseat. I am confident that nothing inappropriate in nature happened in the car that evening and Jameis did not have any physical contact with the Uber driver. The accusations are just not true,” he said.
2. He played ball with Winston before
More than simply being friends, however, is the fact that Ronald Darby and Jameis Winston played ball together when they both were at Florida State. And while Darby managed to keep his proverbial nose clean — something that Jameis Winston really wasn't able to do, especially after he received the Heisman Trophy — he also managed to learn the in's and out's of the game together with his friend, and so it stands to reason that they can recapture the same magic if they play together on a professional level.
1. He's an amazing cornerback
Darby is someone who — along with fellow cornerback Jalen Mills — is renowned throughout the Eagles organization for his ability to keep the opposing team outside of the end zone. That's absolutely essential for the Bucs, who — under the direction of new coach Bruce Arians — are going to need all the help they can get in that department.
Arians has made it clear that his goal is to “develop” Jameis Winston, and no one can help him develop better than weapons he already knows and has. Ronald Darby might be able to help develop him. But it should be interesting to see where this all goes.
