Donovan Smith is staying with the Buccaneers.
There are likely plenty of people scrambling to fix their mock drafts for this year for the Buccaneers. Donovan Smith is staying put in Tampa, and he will remain a Buc for a while at this rate.
Smith has struggled at various points during his career, but 2020 was easily the best showing during his time in Tampa. The Buccaneer offensive line was as good as it has ever been, and a massive part of that came down to Smith doing his job.
During the playoffs and the end of the regular season, Smith played like one of the best left tackles in the league. Anyone who was still calling for his head was clearly not watching the film and didn’t consider the competition that Smith faced mixed with the stage.
Donovan Smith will remain with the Buccaneers
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While some fans may point out the fact that Smith has been average or worse for a large part of his career, left tackle is one of the most difficult positions in the sport to replace. There is a reason why the Bucs couldn’t just plug in Tristan Wirfs at left tackle and kick Smith out to the right.
Even an average performance from Smith on the left side is worth bringing back during a year like this one on a decent contract, but the Buccaneers are getting even more than that.
Tampa Bay signed Smith to an extension today, according to Adam Schefter on Twitter. This deal keeps Smith in place for the duration of the Brady era, but it also gives the Buccaneers more cap space now.
The Bucs were able to give Smith more guaranteed money and an extension, but through more cap work by the front office and the magic of signing bonuses, Smith has a minimal cap hit this year. This will allow the Buccaneers even more space to make moves this offseason. The train will keep rolling, and the Bucs don’t have to worry about replacing a veteran starter with a rookie or another unproven entity during a playoff push.
Donovan Smith still has something to prove to the people of Tampa, but his emergence as one of the top offensive tackles in the playoffs should go a long way to support a 2021 campaign that could see Smith enter the group of top-10 left tackles in the NFL.
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