When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers snagged Tykee Smith in the third round of the 2024 draft, they knew they were getting a very versatile defender who had excelled at multiple positions between his stops at West Virginia and Georgia. Though he was listed as a safety, Smith spent most of his rookie season operating out of the slot, and faring well in that role.
Smith played in 13 games as a rookie and recorded 54 tackles, two interceptions, seven passes defensed, three forced fumbles, four tackles for loss and two quarterback hits. He even gained a few votes in the NFL Defensive Rookie of the year balloting. Despite that success, the Buccaneers had Smith in a new role as the 2025 season began. The starting safety spot next to All-Pro Antoine Winfield Jr. had been filled primarily by Jordan Whitehead in 2024 but was now open and Smith was first in line for the job.
Smith thrived in this role, as well. He tied for second on the team with 100 tackles and added 2.0 sacks, five QB hits, one interception, two fumble recoveries and a team-leading 13 passes defensed. The good news for the 25-year-old defender: He won't have to learn a new position this offseason. On Tuesday, speaking at the NFL Scouting Combine, Head Coach Todd Bowles made it clear that Smith's future is at safety.
"It's definitely a position for him long-term," said Bowles. "We thought he was our best player probably up until he hurt his shoulder, probably three-quarters of the way through the season. He was our best tackler, he was our tone-setter and I thought he was on his way to a heck of a season. But he's definitely a safety."
Two other young defensive backs are expected to be long-term contributors in the Bucs' defense, but their respective roles still need some definition during the offseason. Tampa Bay used second- and third-round picks at the cornerback position in last year's draft, first landing Notre Dame's Benjamin Morrison then following up in the next frame with Kansas State's Jacob Parrish.
By the final game of the season, both Morrison and Parrish were starting as outside cornerbacks, but that was in part due to necessity, as both Zyon McCollum and Jamel Dean were out with injuries. Parrish spent most of his season making impact plays out of the slot but also saw intermittent action on the outside when either Dean or McCollum were unavailable. In a few games, he even played a Rondé Barber-type of role, starting on the outside and moving into the slot for nickel packages. He fnished the season with 68 tackles, seven tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, two interceptions and seven passes defensed. Morrison's play as a rookie was more limited by a couple of injuries but he put in some encouraging work at the end of the season and had 26 tackles and four passes defensed.
With Dean possibly finding a new opportunity in free agency, there will definitely be some snaps available at outside cornerback, and Bowles said both second-year rookies are in the running.
"They'll both play outside," said the coach. "They'll definitely battle outside in the spring and the summer. We think we've got two good ones there, but Parrish will definitely go back in the nickel as well when it's time to go in there."
Two other recent draftees – 2023 fifth-round linebacker SirVocea Dennis and 2024 second-round outside linebacker Chris Braswell – will be battling for significant roles as well. Dennis just finished his first season as a starter and is one of just two off-ball linebackers the Bucs have under contract for 2026, but there will be additions to the unit, obviously, which will lead to competition for playing time.
"He can be a starter if he cleans up his open-field play," said Bowles. "He played well against the run; he gave up some things in the pass game that we didn't like. It was his first full year starting, so we're looking for him to get better. But he'll definitely have competition."
Dennis tied Smith for second on the team with 100 tackles and was second to Yaya Diaby with 10 tackles for loss while also recording 3.0 sacks, but the coaching staff would like to see him take a step forward in pass coverage. Meanwhile, Braswell heads into his third season with a total of 2.5 sacks but an opportunity to step up with more playing time.
"He's just got to come off the ball consistently," said Bowles. "I thought Chris made great strides last year, especially with what we asked him to do. He's got to take it over this year. He really has to take it over this year. He showed flashes but not fast enough flashes. I think if we gave him a chance, I think he'll do a lot better job this year.
Finally, there are a couple of Buccaneers whose main task in the spring will be to get healthy. That includes second-year edge rusher David Walker, who missed his rookie season due to an ACL tear sustained during the preseason. Prior to the injury, he was reportedly having a very strong camp and was expected to see significant playing time in the OLB rotation. A healthy Walker in training camp would almost be like getting an extra draft pick in the mix.
"He's coming along," said Bowles. "We'll see in the spring. He's doing a lot better. He's kind of working out and doing some things. I'll see exactly what he can do in the spring. So hopefully he'll be full-go by summer."
The Buccaneers will be adding players to all of those positions through free agency and the draft in the months ahead. Obviously, they will continue to play their cards close to the vest as exactly which free agents and draft prospects they are interested in, but Bowles did mention one specific trait he's looking for in this year's addition: size.
"I think we need to get bigger," he said. "From a team standpoint I think we need to get bigger. We were smaller at some positions, from a size standpoint. I'd like to get bigger regardless of what position it is. I think that will be a little bit more of an emphasis this year."
