Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 3 Players on the bubble heading into season

CB Ryan Smith

The Buccaneers drafted three new defensive backs during the draft in Sean Murphy-Bunting, Jamel Dean, and Mike Edwards. The Buccaneers can literally field their entire defense with defensive backs, a number that is going to have to be cut down. Something has got to give on the current roster in order to fit all of these defensive backs on the roster and Ryan Smith seems to be the odd man out.

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Tampa Bay also signed safety Kentrell Brice this offseason as well, adding four total players to the last line of their defense. Smith has underperformed and has not become a starting caliber player in his three seasons with the Bucs to this point. Throughout his career, Smith has only tallied one interceptions, 11 knocked down passes and one tackle for loss. In 2018, he ranked as average according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required) with a score of 63.8.

After selecting M.J. Stewart, Carlton Davis, and Jordan Whitehead last year, the three this year, signing Brice, and picking up Vernon Hargreaves’ fifth-year option, there is no room on this Buccaneers roster for Smith and it would not be a shock to see him given the boot out of Tampa Bay after just three years with the team.