Tampa Bay Buccaneers Release Veteran Left Tackle

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had considerable success during their Tom Brady era, but now that it's come and gone, it appears the team is prepared to re-tool, and to do that, they need to get themselves out of the $55M hole they find themselves in ahead of 2023.

After cutting running back Leonard Fournette, it has now been confirmed that they will also be releasing long-time left tackle Donovan Smith, which would free up at least $15M towards the salary cap for this upcoming season.

Breaking: #Bucs are cutting long-time Left Tackle Donovan Smith, according to @PewterReport

Smith struggled in 2022 with 12 accepted penalties against and 6 sacks allowed.

His release could free up $15.25 million with a June 1 designation.https://t.co/vHR5t2O9t8 pic.twitter.com/tBNPS1zzqT

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 28, 2023

After being pivotal to their 2020 Championship run, Smith had his worst career as a pro in 2022, allowing 6 sacks and 15 penalties, and while he still has a place in the NFL, he just wasn't worth the price tag for a Buccaneers squad that could head towards a rebuild or a re-tool. 

Photo Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports