Lovie Smith praises Tim Wright, Jeff Demps

Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Tim Wright caught 54 passes for 571 yards and five touchdowns in a surprisingly solid rookie campaign, and there’s not much of a doubt that he benefited from former head coach Greg Schiano as a former Rutgers player. Wright showed off some nice versatility as a tight end position, and he figures to be involved as a slot receiver in twin-TE sets when he and second-round pick Austin Seferian-Jenkins are on the field.

More from Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers decision to draft ASJ, who lined up just about everywhere during his college career with the Washington Huskies, certainly complicated things for Wright, but it doesn’t sound like they are going to remove him from the gameplan or anything. According to Buccaneers official site beat writer Scott Smith, head coach Lovie Smith stated that he has been pleased with what he’s seen from Wright so far this offseason. That bodes well for the 24-year-old, but I would be surprised if ASJ doesn’t usurp Wright as the starting tight end. The Buccaneers are a running team, and ASJ is a very strong blocker who is clearly a much better player than Wright in this department.

Explosive kick returner Jeff Demps barely saw the field last season after being one of the pieces involved in the LeGarrette Blount trade with the New England Patriots, but the Buccaneers new head coach doesn’t sound disappointed. According to 620 WDAE’s Tom Krasniqi, Smith stated that Demps has a “high ceiling” and added that he is impressed by the former Florida Gators standout. Demps has been receiving some snaps as a slot receiver this offseason, though the pint-sized RB did fumble once today. It will be interesting to see how often he sees the field in his third season in the league, because it looks like make-or-break time for Demps in the first year with a new head coaching staff.

Home/Tampa Bay Buccaneers