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The Buccaneers appear to be set to place the franchise tag on left tackle Donovan Smith. This report comes courtesy of Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.
#Bucs will place the franchise tag on LT Donovan Smith by the March 5 deadline but talks are going well on an extension and they could still do a deal at a later date.
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) March 4, 2019
It’s been the Buccaneers intent from Day 1 to make sure Smith returns for 2019 and beyond. This also means that the new staff under Bruce Arians likes what they see in him and feel they can work with him.
The front office has been big on Smith’s durability and appear to be ready to offer him a long-term deal. Smith hasn’t missed a game since entering the league in 2015.