It was a disappointing season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season. Following their Super Bowl victory two years ago, everything went wrong for the Bucs in 2022.
After barely winning their division and finishing with a losing record, they were eliminated from the playoffs in an embarrassing fashion.
That loss started a trickle-down effect that is currently reshaping the Bucs’ roster. [autotag]Tom Brady[/autotag] retired signaling a rebuild will be coming.
[autotag]Donovan Smith[/autotag] was also affected by the current changes coming to Tampa’s roster. He was released on Tuesday, saving the Bucs roughly $10 million in cap space.
Smith was a second-round draft pick by the Buccaneers in 2015. In his eight seasons there, he started 124 games and signed a three-year, $41.25 million contract in 2019.
He had an excellent season in 2021. PFF gave him an 83.3 on a 100-grade scale. This earned him a second contract extension for 2 years and $31 million.
However, his production did not translate in 2022. His PFF grade was 59.3 and he was tied for fourth with 12 penalties committed.
Buccaneers announce the release of Donovan Smith. https://t.co/PHBGJrs5Ab
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) March 7, 2023
There will likely be suitors for Smith. The 29-year-old has a history of being a very solid left tackle, a coveted position in the NFL. Considering it’s getting harder and harder for college prospects to impact the game immediately, a veteran like Smith should be coveted by most teams who need offensive line help.