Tykee Smith Gives The Bucs Antoine Winfield Jr. Vibes

In a lot of ways, Smith is what Tampa Bay needed at the safety position when looking for someone to slot in behind Antoine Winfield Jr. and Jordan Whitehead. A young player who could be a ballhawk, with enough skill to fight for playing time and develop across the secondary.

In our Bucs’ draft preview assessing the safety position, here were my thoughts:

Head coach Todd Bowles is a big proponent of having defensive back depth and especially having versatile players who can fill multiple roles in the secondary. Tampa Bay’s defense played some of its best football in 2020 en route to a Super Bowl victory when the team had three safeties it could rely on in Winfield, Whitehead, and Mike Edwards.

Spytek brought up both Edwards and Winfield when talking about the newest addition to the safety room.

“I see a kid that is around the ball a lot and when the ball finds him, he usually makes a play on it, you know,” Spytek said. “I mean, Mike Edwards was a little bit like that too – just the ball seems to be a magnet to those guys and a lot of times people are like, ‘What a lucky bounce’ and it’s like, ‘Well, is it?’ Because it happens over and over and over again.

“It’s gotten Tykee a couple of picks on tipped balls, but I’ve always kind of thought with stuff like that like, ‘What are you willing to do to be great? What are you willing to do to create turnovers?’ The person that stands over here [points to his right] and the ball is thrown and it falls hopelessly to the ground over there [points to his left], they’re never looked at. The person that hustles from [the right to the left] and ends up with the ball in their hands – they deserve credit for that.”

Smith sounds more than ready to fill that role and wants to make impactful plays for the Bucs’ defense.

“Turnovers get you paid, so being able to change the momentum of the game is what I pride myself on,” Smith said on having a playmaking mindset. “And being able to make impactful plays is what I pride myself on also – just can’t wait to showcase that down there.”

Who Better For Tykee Smith To Learn From Than Antoine Winfield Jr.?

The season that Antoine Winfield Jr. had in 2023 will be talked about for years to come.

That is – if he doesn’t top his otherworldly production again in 2024.

Winfield deserves all of his flowers for the numbers he tallied. Notching 122 total tackles. Recording six forced fumbles and sacks. Oh, and sprinkling in four fumble recoveries and three interceptions to boot.

One thing the Bucs appreciate about Winfield is that all of this did not come out of nowhere. No, it comes from approaching each practice like a game, building off each day, and carrying himself like a pro’s pro. Back in late December, head coach Todd Bowles spoke of the qualities that separate him from the rest.

“He’s instinctual, he has talent, he studies film profusely, he practices like that, he asks a lot of questions,” Bowles said then. “We’re able to move him around to some places, but his football IQ allows him to execute a lot of the things he’s doing.”

Circling back to Tykee Smith, he has worked to build his game on a similar foundation. Smith’s instincts and talent got him on the field for the Bulldogs’ defense last season, and he showed he could make big plays often with 70 total tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, six pass deflections, a team-high four interceptions, and two sacks across 14 games. Oftentimes, he stood out on film for his hustle and doing the little stuff, which is something that also stood out to John Spytek and the rest of the Bucs’ front office.

“That’s Tykee, and that’s Antoine,” Spytek said. “You guys know that with Antoine, obviously, and those plays that he made this year. ‘What effort are you willing to give?’ We’re looking for guys that are willing to do the extra stuff.”

The team surely hopes that they have solidified the safety position for the foreseeable future with Smith, Winfield, and Jordan Whitehead. A trio with the youth and upside to make plays and give opposing offenses a difficult time, whether moving the ball through the air, coming along the edge on a designed blitz, or snuffing out a run.

That is what Antoine Winfield Jr. has been one of the best at doing through his four seasons in the NFL and being able to line up alongside him and be a sponge is something Tykee Smith is looking forward to.

“Real excited,” Smith said on playing with the All-Pro safety. “[He’s] one of the best safeties in the league, so me getting the opportunity to learn from him and practice with him every day will be a blessing.”