Buccaneers need Jacquies Smith to give them a boost

Jacquies Smith was expected to be an integral part of the pass rush last season for the Buccaneers. This season, they need him to be what they believe he is.

It was a brutal loss so early on last season. In their opener in Atlanta, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost defensive end Jacquies Smith on his very first play of the season to a torn ACL. Instead of Smith being a vital part of the pass rush, the Bucs had to scramble to try and fill the void he left. Now, in 2017, Smith needs to be all the Bucs believed he was if this team is going to continue to rise.

With the addition of Chris Baker along the interior and Noah Spence continuing to develop, the Bucs and Mike Smith are counting on Jacquies to bring the fire he showed in 2015. Defensive line coach Jay Hayes expressed his feelings on the devastating loss last year and how things are progressing;

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"“I mean, it was huge. He only played one play [last season]. It was disheartening. We went into the game, the first series, we went out and we stopped them on that first third-down against the Falcons and he went out on the punt team on the next series and kind of just got jostled. I mean, it was not a big thing. I think someone just kind of put their hand on him and his leg and he walked off. So, I was talking to him. I said, ‘Hey Jacq, next series let’s…’ and the trainer was talking to him and I said, ‘What’s wrong?’ Then he said that he thought he hurt his knee and then [Head Athletic Trainer] Bobby [Slater] told me that he thinks he tore his ACL. So, that was it, so he got one play.I haven’t really seen him yet. He’s still with the trainers. He hasn’t really been cleared yet, but they tell us that he is right on track and he should be great.”"

The Buccaneers’ pass rush is still one of the question marks that non-believers point to along with the offensive line, so a healthy Smith can go a long way to the defense picking up where they left off in 2016. The faster they get pressure on opposing quarterbacks, the less pressure there is on a young and developing secondary.

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Losing Smith was a vital blow last season. Having him return at 100% for this season could provide a massive boost.