Buccaneers' Tykee Smith: Paces Bucs with 11 stops in loss
Rotowire
Smith registered 11 tackles (nine solo) along with a forced fumble and a defensed pass Thursday in an overtime loss to the Falcons.
Smith was evaluated for a concussion in the second quarter but wasn't out long, as he returned to the game before halftime. The rookie cornerback finished with a career-high 11 stops after recording just one tackle against Philadelphia in his previous game. Smith logged 99 percent of the Buccaneers' defensive snaps Thursday and has become a fixture in the team's secondary.
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Buccaneers' Tykee Smith: Returns to game Thursday
Rotowire
Smith (head) has returned to Thursday's game against the Falcons, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Smith was evaluated for a concussion midway through the second quarter and was initially deemed questionable to return. The cornerback was subsequently cleared and re-entered the contest prior to halftime. Smith had a productive first half, tallying seven tackles (six solo).
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Buccaneers' Tykee Smith: Standout tackle effort in win
Rotowire
Smith recorded eight tackles (six solo), including one for loss, in the Buccaneers' 20-16 win over the Lions in Week 2.
The rookie came into the contest nursing an illness, but Smith did a fine job in his slot cornerback role. The 2024 third-round pick has allowed a stingy 55.6 percent completion rate and modest 6.6 yards per attempt on the nine attempts he's faced as a primary defender thus far in his nascent NFL career.
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Buccaneers' Tykee Smith: Feeling better
Rotowire
Smith (illness) will play Sunday against the Lions, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Smith was unable to practice Thursday or Friday, but he traveled with the team to Detroit and has made enough progress in his recovery to take the field Sunday.
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Buccaneers' Tykee Smith: Traveling to Detroit
Rotowire
Smith (illness) is traveling with the Buccaneers to Detroit, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.
Smith came down with an illness this week, which prevented him from practicing Thursday and Friday. He'll go through warmups before Sunday's game, but if he's unable to suit up, Tavierre Thomas would be the top candidate to slide into the nickel corner role. Smith registered two tackles while playing 40 snaps (38 on defense, two on special teams) in Week 1 against the Commanders.
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Buccaneers' Tykee Smith: Tampa Bay bound
Rotowire
The Buccaneers selected Smith in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 89th overall.
Smith took a circuitous route to draft night. After starring at West Virginia early in his career with All-American accolades, Smith transferred to Georgia, where he had a brutal stretch of injury luck. A foot injury kept him out to start 2021, and then he suffered a torn ACL. After playing a rotational role in 2022, Smith secured a starting job at nickel in 2023 and got himself back on the NFL radar. Physicality is the name of his game, as he got in on 70 tackles as a fifth-year senior and showed coverage chops with four picks. He tested well at the combine, and if the injury woes are truly behind him, Smith is an asset at nickel or safety.
