Buccaneers' Ryan Smith: Ties for team lead in tackles Friday
Smith totaled five tackles (four solo) in Friday's 23-12 preseason loss to the Bengals. He also returned one kickoff for 17 yards.
The second-year defensive back was projected to see plenty of time Friday with Brent Grimes (lower leg) sitting out, and that indeed proved to be the case. Smith started the contest with the first-team defense, pushing Bengals running back Jeremy Hill out of bounds on Cincinnati's first play from scrimmage and compiling four more stops. Smith is also in contention for a kick returner spot, a role that, when combined with a possible nickel corner job, could give him some fantasy value in deep formats that factor in return yards.