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Bucs need more consistency from left tackle Donovan Smith

Offensive line coach Joe Gilbert says veteran knows he needs to improve this season.
 
Bucs offensive tackle Donovan Smith (76), center Ryan Jensen (66), and offensive guard Ali Marpet (74) during practice last month in Tampa.
Bucs offensive tackle Donovan Smith (76), center Ryan Jensen (66), and offensive guard Ali Marpet (74) during practice last month in Tampa. [ DIRK SHADD | Times ]
Published Sept. 1, 2020|Updated Sept. 1, 2020

TAMPA — Over his first five NFL seasons, left tackle Donovan Smith has been one of the most durable offensive linemen in the league, starting 77 straight games before missing his first late last season.

But this year, the Bucs want to see consistency from Donovan Smith to match his durability.

Speaking on a video conference call with reporters Tuesday, Bucs offensive line coach Joe Gilbert said as much, and Smith knows he needs to be better this season. Tampa Bay has lofty expectations with the addition of quarterback Tom Brady, and Smith is tasked with protecting Brady’s blind side.

“He knows he has to be more consistent, and I think that that’s one thing, and to his credit that he is, you know, opened up, he’s looked at it. He’s seen the bad plays and he realizes he has to eliminate them,” Gilbert said. “And I think that that’s part number one of realizing there’s an issue in how we can say everything we want as a coach, but if the player doesn’t buy into it, then it’s not going to go anywhere. And I think that’s one thing he’s realized, and just know that 60 out of 65 plays aren’t good enough.”

Smith, 27, allowed five sacks and committed nine penalties last season. Pro Football Focus rated him near the bottom third of offensive tackles for five straight seasons.

The Bucs signed Smith to a three-year, $41.25 million contract before last season. His $14.25 million salary for 2021 is not guaranteed.

After Bucs coach Bruce Arians chided his offense for a poor effort in practice Sunday, Smith tweeted, “These (are) the kind of days you grow from.”

“The other day, we had a bad offensive practice and as I said to him, ‘Hey, it’s one thing about having a bad play. You can’t have a bad day,’” Gilbert said. “And he said, ‘I had a bad day.’ That was coming from him, so he’s starting to realize that and we’ve just got to keep working to minimize the number of bad reps that he has and bad plays in a ballgame.”

Bucs add kicker

Veteran free-agent kicker Ryan Succop officially became a Buc on Tuesday, participating in his first practice as he competes with incumbent Matt Gay for the placekicking job.

Succop, who made 82.2 percent of his field goal attempts over the course of his 11-year career, was limited to just six games last season because of a knee injury and made just one of six field goal attempts.

The Bucs also took a look at Cody Parkey before signing Succop.

In signing Succop, the Bucs clearly wanted a more dependable option — the team cut Elliott Fry — to compete with Gay, who has had an uneven camp and was inconsistent in his rookie season after the Bucs drafted him in the fifth round. While Gay has a big leg, Arians said the Bucs need to ensure more shorter field goals are converted, and Succop was 65-for-65 from 39 yards or less over the past six seasons.

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“It’s always a competition when there are two guys fighting for a job,” Arians said. “And you know Ryan has got a really good resume. He was injured. He’s healthy (now). He’s got the consecutive kick record there for a while. So it will be a competition for the next few days.”

Quick hits

Arians said he’s likely to carry three quarterbacks on the active 53-man roster, which is good news for longtime third-stringer Ryan Griffin. … Running back Ronald Jones (foot) and rookie receiver Tyler Johnson (lower body) returned to practice on Tuesday. Carlton Davis, who injured his shoulder in Friday’s scrimmage, did not practice on Tuesday.

Contact Eduardo A. Encina at eencina@tampabay.com. Follow @EddieInTheYard.