Bucs might have some regrets after Andy Reid hyped up Donovan Smith

Kansas City Chiefs head coach had high praise for Donovan Smith after the team signed him away from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason. 

One team’s trash is oftentimes another’s treasure. When the team finding treasure is the Kansas City Chiefs, it’s hard to not have some seller’s remorse.

That’s the situation the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in, as the Chiefs signed former left tackle Donovan Smith in free agency last week and are already dancing into OTAs about the move. Smith was released by the Bucs this offseason after one of the worst seasons of his career, one in which he committed a career-high in penalties.

While he didn’t do himself any favors with how he played last year, the decision to cut Smith was more about the front office needing to untangle a $55 million salary cap knot. Releasing Smith freed up much needed space, and can be seen as one of the reasons the Bucs were able to bring back both Lavonte David and Jamel Dean.

There were even rumors that Smith could eventually end up back in Tampa Bay this offseason, so it’s not as though the well had been poisoned. Nevertheless, the Chiefs swooped in last week and plucked Smith off the market in a move the Bucs might look back on with regret this time next year.

Buccaneers might have regrets after Andy Reid hyped up Donovan Smith

In a press conference on Monday, Reid not only sung the praises of Smith but announced he’d be joining the team as the Chiefs starting left tackle.

“If you look at last year, he was hurt,” Reid said. “The year before that, he was one of the top-graded left tackles in the league. And we’ve had a chance to play against him a couple times and seen him first-hand there. He’s a good football player.”

Nothing Reid is saying here is false, but the way he says it and the fact that the Chiefs are hyped to have landed Smith is the sort of thing that will make some question whether letting him go was the right move.

It’s a little early for that, though.

There’s a very good chance that Smith rebounds with the Chiefs and becomes the tackle he was when he helped the Bucs win a Super Bowl back in 2020. That’s always been the upside of Smith, but a fresh start somewhere other than Tampa Bay always seemed to be the best way for him to get there.

Hindsight might make the Bucs look foolish, especially if Chiefs win another Super Bowl and Smith is integral to that success. But rather than be bitter about something that seemed like the best move for all involved, fans can be happy Smith has a chance to return to being the player we all saw him be over his years in Tampa Bay and march forward into the new era that lies ahead.