Todd Bowles reveals one Buccaneers player who may change positions next season

Despite the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' struggles defending the pass in 2024, there were still bright spots to be found.

One of those bright spots was rookie defensive back, Tykee Smith. Although Smith did miss several games due to injury, along with every other member of the Bucs' secondary, the first year product out of Georgia was a dynamic presence for Todd Bowles' defense, excelling as the team's starting nickel corner when in the lineup.

The Bucs drafted Smith in the third round of last April's draft, and one of the elements of his game that drew the Buccaneers to him was his versatility. Smith was technically a safety during his final season for the Bulldogs, but he had plenty of experience playing corner as well.

After the Bucs brought back Jordan Whitehead in free agency to become their starting safety alongside Antoine WInfield Jr., that opened the door for Smith to compete with Christian Izien — the team's starter in 2023 — for the starting nickel corner position.

It was a competition that Smith won in training camp, and never relinquished.

Unfortunately, Jordan Whitehead mostly struggled in his return to Tampa Bay. To complicate matters further, he suffered a serious neck injury toward the end of the season, potentially jeopardizing his future in the NFL.

While speaking with the media on Tuesday to open up the NFL's annual scouting combine in Indianapolis, Tampa Bay's head coach Todd Bowles was asked about whether or not he might consider moving Tykee Smith to the safety position.

"Yeah, it's definitely something we talked about, and going into the spring is something we're going to look at as well. Tykee wants to play safety, so we're definitely going to be looking at it. So it's an option for us."

Bowles isn't exactly the most transparent communicator when he speaks with the media, so the fact that he was so forthcoming about the idea of Smith switching positions the first time he was asked about it speaks volumes regarding the realistic nature of this scenario.

He realizes Tykee Smith was both comfortable and effective playing the nickel corner position within Bowles' defense last season, but he also understands that Smith wants to be on the field as much as possible, and playing safety would provide him with that opportunity.

"Oh, he's very comfortable at Nickel. He's our best nickel. Safety obviously stays on the field 100% of the time with a nickel probably 75% of the time, and he wants to be on the field 100% of the time. Doesn't mean he's not going to play from nickel, but he can play more on the base defense."

This is an intriguing development for the Buccaneers, who will surely be taking a close look at a plethora of different DBs during this pre-draft process. If the team is leaning towards moving Smith back to safety — which Bowles' comments today certainly indicate — then it would likely shift the Bucs' focus towards outside and inside cornerbacks in terms of their draft priorities.

Regardless of what the Buccaneers' true intentions are in terms of their secondary, the picture will become much clearer once the NFL Draft rolls around at the end of April.