Ryan Smith Heads To Tinseltown
March 30th, 2021
Former Bucs CB Ryan Smith.
Fresh off getting a Super Bowl ring, Bucs backup cornerback and special teams ace Ryan Smith decided to cash in.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network twittered that Smith decided to head to the bright lights of the big city and signed with the Los Angeles Chargers.
The #Chargers are signing former #Bucs cornerback/special teams ace Ryan Smith to a one-year, $1.75 million deal, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 30, 2021
To be honest, Joe was a bit surprised Smith re-signed with the Bucs last season. While Smith was excellent at times on special teams, including kick and punt return, he was dreadful on defense and he may be Exhibit-A of how coaches prior to Bucco Bruce Arians’ staff failed with a capital-F in developing players.
When Smith was first drafted, not only did the Bucs have high hopes for him, but NFL draft analysts like Daniel Jeremiah, a former NFL scout himself, said of Smith, “small school corner, big-time talent.”
But Smith had his head screwed with from the moment he stepped onto a Bucs practice field. At first, then-inept defensive coordinator Mike Smith thought Smith was a corner. Then he thought he was a safety. Then he changed his mind again and moved him back to corner.
Meanwhile, Ryan Smith was left twisting in the wind and never became anything more than a special teams guy and a Julio Jones’ companion on his highlight reel.
Joe doesn’t think he’s stepping out of bounds saying Smith likely was the poster-person for the lack of young players being developed by former Bucs assistants. It’s a good thing RoJo was saved just in time.
March 30th, 2021 at 2:56 pm
“how coaches up to Bucco Bruce”…
March 30th, 2021 at 2:57 pm
It stands corrected.
March 30th, 2021 at 3:01 pm
0 snaps at corner this year, hell of a gunner though.
March 30th, 2021 at 3:04 pm
Good special teams player. Good luck in LA.
I am still hopeful bucs resign Cockrell for depth in the secondary.
March 30th, 2021 at 3:05 pm
Geeez 1 year deal ahhh I wouldn’t move from Florida for that little money.
March 30th, 2021 at 3:06 pm
Man. “The Buccaneers have no weaknesses.” How about kick coverage. I remember Ryan Smith and Russell Sheperd making some nice plays as gunners years back. It almost never happens with this team. There is a big opportunity there for sure.
March 30th, 2021 at 3:07 pm
I wish him well.
March 30th, 2021 at 3:24 pm
That’s more than Winston got last year with the saints! Pretty good for a special teams ace. Good luck
March 30th, 2021 at 3:26 pm
I’m in the league for a number of years, maybe smelled the playoffs once, no ring, can sign for the vet minimum and play in Tampa with a shot at a ring… not worried about replacing a gunner.
March 30th, 2021 at 3:31 pm
$1.75 million from LA shows what the Bucs thought about it.
March 30th, 2021 at 3:57 pm
How will they manage to compete in the NFC South without him???
March 30th, 2021 at 4:07 pm
Our kick coverage was poor even with Smith…….Pinion is at the top of the league with touchbacks & that’s a good thing…..some KR decided to run it out from deep in their endzone and burnt us.
Pinion needs to kick it out of the endzone…..
We’ll find some ST players with our next draft class…..because, they won’t be starting.
March 30th, 2021 at 4:23 pm
smitty hurt ryan smith just like so many other players….
i was hoping we re-signed him instead of crockell….
GO BUCS!!!!!
March 30th, 2021 at 4:25 pm
He’s the worst corner I’ve ever seen, ever – and I’ve been watching football since the early 80s – and yes that includes watching sorry a— Rod ‘toast’ Jones getting burned all the time. But as for him being the posterboy for lack of player development, the kid was a 4th round pick. Hard to call any 4th rounder a bust – 90% of them never make it.
March 30th, 2021 at 4:44 pm
Ummm, bye.
March 30th, 2021 at 4:56 pm
Hard to replace a ST Ace. The entire draft could be ST’s…
March 30th, 2021 at 5:11 pm
I feel bad for guys like Smith and Stewart. Those guys played man in college and drafting into the coaching of almost the worst defense in history playing the deepest zone. Stewart could of been a good blitzing CB or SS with Bowels. Just a theory.
March 30th, 2021 at 5:16 pm
SOEbuc – Did you see Stewart playing for Cleveland? He was the guy, in the playoff loss to KC, they picked on, he was the guy they went after with the game on the line. Stewart did make a pick early in the Pittsburgh game vs the Browns, but then he also got burned for at least 2 TDs in that same game. Stewart was like a slow Ryan Smith, which is about as big of an insult as I can come up with.
March 30th, 2021 at 5:46 pm
WHO???? That’s how much he mattered. Where do Bucs need the most work? Special teams, there’s a start.
March 30th, 2021 at 5:57 pm
Felicia?????
March 30th, 2021 at 6:19 pm
Munchkin. Do you ever have anything nice to say about anybody? 🙄
March 30th, 2021 at 6:32 pm
Career looks just like Josh Robinson’s. Not bad money if you can stick around for 6 or 7 years. That’s more than the average NFL player does.
March 30th, 2021 at 6:36 pm
After the 53 cutdown, there will be a lot of quality vets who are a cut above Smith biting for a chance to sign with the Bucs and for an opportunity to get a Super Bowl ring.
March 30th, 2021 at 6:41 pm
Slow down rod. A theory of potential drafted into Bowels scheme based on his good play in college. I’m not a mind reader. Theory.
March 30th, 2021 at 6:55 pm
If we sign any vets…..they need to be able to play ST……
We signed 7 of the 8 big FAs…..but we won’t be able to keep all the backups……so far Adams & Smith….expect more to sign elsewhere….
Let’s go for younger players who can contribute on ST and have a potential future…..
March 30th, 2021 at 7:09 pm
Good luck Mr. Smith., and congrats.
Joes right, and its sad. This young man was a 6’2” CB with alot of raw talent.
Mike Smith never let him develop, holding him out to learn a new position- then not playing it.
But for those of you who think he wont be missed- he just made a hole in our coverage teams. He was our best kick coverage guy- by a long shot.
But he can be replaced. Its just now, he needs to be replaced.
But we’ll still probably stagger into another SuperBowl.
March 30th, 2021 at 8:00 pm
He sucked from day 1. Not the Coach’s fault. Bust. He was getting replaced on draft day anyway. Glad he found a willing sucker to throw more cash at him.
March 30th, 2021 at 8:26 pm
I wish nothing but good things for him.
March 30th, 2021 at 8:51 pm
The now mythical 5 game winning streak of 2016…which was for not as they stunk down the stretch…got Mike Smith topped off/an even bigger pay day and he was awful as it turns out. Remembering the cast of characters from 2008-2019 makes a fella savor the 2020 team that much more. From top to bottom…
March 30th, 2021 at 9:40 pm
MJ Stewart was a great college player. Built perfect for the up and down speed of offenses and a ball hawk. The problem is everybody is fast in the NFL and much much much much much faster than both Stewart and Ryan Smith could dream of. They would need picturesque technique and smarts like a Ronde Barber to be somebody in the NFL. Dean, SMB and Carlton are much better choices. Dean has the speed and Davis and SMB have the ballhawk/technique part with above average speed. As mentioned, now they have someone in Bowles that knows how to develop defensive guys especially secondary. To be fair Ryan Smith was a 4th rd pick and laughably Licht’s best pick in the 2016 draft. Talk about a solid 180 for Mr Licht House.
March 30th, 2021 at 9:45 pm
Captain Tim he is 5’11” not 6’2”
March 30th, 2021 at 9:49 pm
SOEbuc – I’m just saying the guy is still playing, and isn’t very good. I won’t bash him too much for his rookie year, since I ALWAYS think you need to discount players rookies years since some take longer than others to do anything (Ronald Jones being a perfect example, people in here were saying he needed to be cut his rookie year and in the offseason). BUT, one thing that doesn’t change, is speed. Yes, a player might get a half-step faster once they learn a system completely, so if a guy is a half-step too slow, there is hope he can improve. But when a guy is 5-steps too slow and is being ran by, by medicore WRs, the guy isn’t an NFL talent. Still, getting 1 out of 2 is acceptable, and Davis has been solid, but Stewart wasn’t on anyone’s radar in the 2nd round and Licht really reached to get him when he lacked the one thing you absolutely can’t lack as a defensive back – that being speed.
March 30th, 2021 at 9:51 pm
Bojim – When it comes to Ryan Smith and Chris Conte – no, I’ll never say anything nice. But when it comes to many other players, yes, I just won’t say Scotty Miller could be starting for 29 NFL teams like many of the dopes here. That’s not criticizing him, that’s just being realistic – I like him as a #4 WR.
March 30th, 2021 at 9:52 pm
Special teams is avg. at best. You’ve got a great kicker. The saints had you on the ropes and it was mainly because of field position. Lucky for you jared cook made one of the worst fumbles I’ve ever seen.
March 30th, 2021 at 9:53 pm
Anybody got a total our current Comp Pick count [I have us at +2 Adams, Smith]
March 31st, 2021 at 12:54 am
Ben. Did you say that Antoine Winfield caused one of the greatest fumbles in the history of the Buccaneers franchise? Why yes, yes he did.
March 31st, 2021 at 3:19 am
I don’t think we get comp picks lower paid bubble players.
March 31st, 2021 at 4:34 am
Bucallnight,
I’d say 0.
I’m guessing you looked at those 2 players and thought it’s plus 2. It don’t work like that.
March 31st, 2021 at 9:24 am
The thing is Cockrell can also play CB. Smith strictly a ST.
March 31st, 2021 at 1:53 pm
Julio owned this kid and he never had a future after that, glad to see the end of it
March 31st, 2021 at 2:10 pm
This makes me think about all the coaches on the Bucs. The Glazers must have had some thoughts, WTF, look at all the money we are spending on friggin coaches , then they are rewarded with a Super Bowl.
As Jerry Jones said, he has always overpaid for anything that was worthwhile. As opposed to 1 term Donald who claims he didn’t buy the Buffalo Bills because they were overpriced. He commented the Pegula’s overpaid. But the Pegula’s own a team, and 1 term Donny ?
April 1st, 2021 at 6:52 am
Good luck Mr. Ryan Smith, and Congrats.