(Photo courtesy of Buccaneers.com.)

It’s not a huge surprise that Lovie Smith ripped defensive end George Johnson from the starting lineup and replaced him with true manbeast Will Gholston, who has very little fat on him but still stands 6-6, 280 pounds.

Johnson and fellow defensive end Jacquies Smith were very skinny on the NFL scale for defensive ends.

Smith told Joe early this season that he weighs 255 pounds. Lovie emphasized Jacquies Smith’s speed and body type recently when he said he had “fast linebacker speed.” But as former Bucs Dave Moore and Anthony Becht spoke about often this summer, the Bucs’ projected starters at DE were very vulnerable against the run. They just didn’t have the size to matchup with a team going downhill.

So that’s why Joe was not surprised Lovie moved to Gholston, and the head coach even said upon making the move Gholston will be moved around when possible to be on the offense’s tight end, a true mismatch.

A few days ago, when asked about how he needs to improve, Jacquies Smith told the Buccaneers Radio Network that he didn’t want to talk about technique, but “I might just need to get bigger.” Smith knows he’s small by NFL standards and the weight room is his friend. He even joked about needing to work on a massive chest.

With 4.5 sacks, and 10 1/2 since joining Tampa Bay last September, Smith doesn’t have much to worry about. But if he does get bigger and maintain his speed, then he’s going to be a lot more attractive on the open market. Smith should be a restricted free agent after this season. If he keeps performing, there’s no doubt the Bucs will slap a top tender on him.