56 Jacquies Smith DE

Smith (knee) signed his tender with the Buccaneers on Wednesday, Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com reports.

The Buccaneers hope that Smith can return to form after he missed nearly all of 2016 with a knee injury. Tampa Bay will likely ease the 27-year-old back onto the field, but don't be surprised if Smith sees more involvement in team activities as training camp approaches. Smith recorded 13.5 sacks over his first two years in the league before suiting up for just one contest last season.

Smith (knee) did not sign an offer sheet prior to Friday's deadline for restricted free agents to do so, effectively meaning he'll remain with the Buccaneers this season.

Smith was tendered by Tampa Bay last month, and although he's yet to sign that offer, he's been participating in the team's offseason program this week after putting pen to paper on a workout addendum. Given that involvement, it's of no surprise that Smith won't be heading elsewhere ahead of the 2017 campaign. After suffering a torn ACL in Week 1 of last year, Smith remains in the process of returning to his best form, which saw him total 39 tackles in 13.5 sacks for the Bucs during the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

Smith (knee) was tendered a contract by the Buccaneers on Tuesday, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The deal gives the Buccaneers refusal rights only, which essentially means if Smith receives an offer from another team, the Buccaneers have the right to match and keep the defensive end. However, if he does leave, the Buccaneers do not receive any draft-pick compensation. The 26-year-old's season ended abruptly after he suffered a torn ACL during Tampa Bay's Week 1 win over the Falcons. Look for more updates on his road to recovery to come throughout the offseason.

Smith (knee) has been diagnosed with a torn ACL in his right knee and will be placed on injured reserve, ending his 2016 season, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The 26-year-old's season disappointingly comes to an end in less than a full game, with Smith having suffered the injury while working on the punt coverage unit on Sunday versus the Falcons. The talented defensive end entered the 2016 campaign with high expectations after tallying 13.5 sacks over the first 27 games of his pro career in a part-time role. Smith was expected to see his playing time expand this season as part of a burgeoning defensive line rotation that also includes 2016 second-round pick Noah Spence, offseason acquisition Robert Ayers and perennial Pro Bowl tackle Gerald McCoy. His absence for the balance of the season could spell extended opportunity for the talented Spence and undrafted rookie Channing Ward.

Smith suffered a knee injury in the Buccaneers' regular season opener against the Falcons and will not return, ESPN's Jenna Laine reports.

Smith went down in punt coverage, but the specifics of his injury are unclear at this point in time. The setback comes at a poor time for Smith as he's coming off an impressive preseason in which he logged four sacks, the most by a Buccaneer since 2000.