Buccaneers' Tykee Smith: Officially doubtful for Sunday
Rotowire
Smith (knee) is listed as doubtful ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Giants, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.
Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reported earlier Friday that head coach Todd Bowles ruled out Smith for Sunday's matchup in New York. However, the Buccaneers' official injury report Friday lists the rookie from Georgia as doubtful. If Smith is sidelined as expected in Week 12, Tavierre Thomas and Troy Hill (ankle) will likely serve as Tampa Bay's top slot cornerbacks.
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Buccaneers' Tykee Smith: Out for Week 12
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Smith (knee) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Giants, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Smith was injured in the team's Friday practice ahead of Week 10, and he's been sidelined since. This will be his second consecutive game missed despite having extra time to heal with Tampa Bay coming out of its bye. The Bucs are dealing with injuries all over their cornerback depth chart, with Jamel Dean (hamstring) still on injured reserve but eligible to return this week. Zyon McCollum (hamstring) and Troy Hill (ankle) are also banged up.
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Buccaneers' Tykee Smith: Downgrades to DNP on Thursday
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Smith (knee) did not practice Thursday.
Smith was listed as a limited practice participant on Wednesday's injury report, but he was unable to take the field Thursday. The rookie third-rounder is in jeopardy of missing his third game of the regular season, but he'd give himself a chance at playing against the Giants on Sunday if he's able to return to practice Friday.
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Buccaneers' Tykee Smith: Limited in return to practice
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Smith (knee) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice.
Smith suffered a knee injury in the final practice leading up to Tampa Bay's Week 10 clash against San Francisco, and the injury was severe enough for him to be sidelined for that contest. The Buccaneers enjoyed a bye for Week 11, and the additional rest allowed Smith to return to practice Wednesday, albeit in a limited capacity. The rookie third-rounder will have two more chances this week to increase his practice participation ahead of Sunday's game against the Giants.
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Buccaneers' Tykee Smith: Won't play Week 10
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Smith (knee) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against San Francisco, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Smith suffered a knee injury in Friday's practice, which will cause the rookie third-round pick to miss his second game of the regular season. The severity of the injury isn't clear, but Smith will have additional time to recover due to the Buccaneers being on a bye for Week 11. Tavierre Thomas is the top candidate to serve as the Bucs' starting slot corner due to Smith being sidelined.
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Buccaneers' Tykee Smith: Active Monday night
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Smith (concussion) is active for Monday night's matchup with the Chiefs, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
The slot cornerback had to miss Tampa Bay's Week 8 loss to Atlanta after suffering the concussion during the team's Week 7 defeat to Baltimore. Smith cleared the NFL's concussion protocol by Saturday and participated in the team's practice session that same day. The rookie third-round pick has 33 tackles (22 solo), four passes defensed, an interception and two forced fumbles in 2024.
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Buccaneers' Tykee Smith: Tagged as questionable for Week 9
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Smith (concussion) was a full practice participant Saturday and is listed as questionable for Monday's game against the Chiefs, Brianna Dix of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Greg Auman of Fox Sports reported before the release of Saturday's injury report that Smith cleared the league's concussion protocols, though Smith has still been given the questionable tag. It's possible that Smith will have to clear additional steps before being given the green light to play Monday.
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Buccaneers' Tykee Smith: Good to go vs. Kansas City
Rotowire
Smith has cleared concussion protocols and will be available for Monday's game against the Chiefs, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.
Smith was sidelined for the Bucs' Week 8 loss to the Falcons due to a concussion he sustained in Week 7 against the Ravens. He was able to log a full practice Friday, and he's done enough to pass the league's five-step concussion protocols. Smith will serve as the Buccaneers' top slot corner for Monday's contest.
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Buccaneers' Tykee Smith: Still in concussion protocols
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Smith (concussion) was listed as a limited practice participant on Thursday's injury report.
Smith was diagnosed with a concussion during the Bucs' Week 7 loss to the Ravens, and he was held out of this Sunday's game against the Falcons. Even if Smith is able to log a full practice Thursday or Friday, he'll still need to clear the league's five-step concussion protocols before Monday's game against the Chiefs.
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Buccaneers' Tykee Smith: Done for night
Rotowire
Smith (concussion) has been ruled out for the rest of Monday's contest against the Ravens.
Smith suffered a concussion in the second quarter of Monday's matchup and he'll miss the remainder of the game as a result. The cornerback will have one less day than normal to clear concussion protocol prior to Sunday's game against the Falcons.
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Buccaneers' Tykee Smith: Paces Bucs with 11 stops in loss
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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: Standout tackle effort in win
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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
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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: Tampa Bay bound
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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.
