TAMPA, Fla. — Even as he wiped beads of perspiration from his forehead on a toasty afternoon, veteran Bucs left tackle Donovan Smith made it clear he’s not sweating his team’s future.
“We’re going to be great,” Smith told a small group of reporters Thursday in his first public appearance since Pro Bowl peer Ali Marpet’s retirement announcement four days earlier. “I don’t know what’s the worry in all of that. We’re going to be great. It’s going to be a great year next year.”
Smith and right tackle Tristan Wirfs, suddenly the Bucs’ only two starting offensive linemen certain to return in 2022, represented the team as it kicked off its annual Girls Flag Football Preseason Classic at USF. The event, billed as the largest girls flag tournament in the country, attracted roughly 1,500 high school athletes representing 70 teams.
