The Bucs were able to take advantage of safety Tanard Jackson's cover skills Sunday, using him a few times as a third corner in nickel situations.

And they're considering using Jackson in that spot, on occasion, in the future. Remember, Jackson played corner at Syracuse. It may only be a few snaps, but Jackson's versatility gives them that option.

“We might -That’s always a possibility.," defensive coordinator Jim Bates said. "Tanard has played some nickel back. We’ll look at what perrsonnel we have available what we need to do at the time and have some versatility. But we could look at him again at that position.”

Jackson saw his first game action of  the season Sunday against the Eagles after serving a four-game suspension.

"He did some good things, was a little rusty - we’ll see a much better Tanard this week," Bates said. "But overall to come back from such a long layoff and get right back into the thick of things, he did a good job. But he’ll do a much better job this week and continue to improve. "

-- JOE SMITH

joesmith@sptimes.com