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Bucs safety Tykee Smith has a signature move. It may not be an original move, but the “Peanut Punch” made famous by former NFL defensive back Charles “Peanut” Tillman has adapted by Smith and works more often than not.

Smith burst onto the scene with it as a rookie in 2024, forcing three fumbles that year. While he didn’t have any in 2025, he did recover two fumbles, a clutch interception when the Bucs backs were against the wall, and the first two sacks of his career.

Simply put, Tykee Smith is a playmaker. Going into year three, Smith has gotten back to basics working on the punch even more, trying to find ways to increase his volume of turnovers for the 2026 season.

Bucs’ Tykee Smith Punching His Way To More Turnovers

“I think that’s been a big part of my game,” Smith said. “I think that’s one of the reasons I [was] brought here.”

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles confirmed as such going back to Smith’s college playing days.

“This season, I’m trying to create as many turnovers as possible just to change the momentum of the game and help the offense in any way possible to get the ball back.”

“Well, they harped on it at [the University of] Georgia,” Bowles said. “It’s one of the things I [had] seen when they did that, just being down there. [Georgia Defensive Backs] Coach [Glenn] Schumann did a good job of teaching those guys, and Tykee does a very good job. His hand-eye coordination…It was him, it was [Antoine] Winfield [Jr]. Lavonte [David] is gone now, but [those] three have a very good knack for that.”

Bucs HC Todd Bowles and S Tykee Smith – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

There was no better moment on display than what Smith did during Thursday’s training camp practice with Tampa Bay. Second-year wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, who’s had a good camp, made a catch down the field for a solid gain. But a moment later, the punch came from Smith to the ball, knocking it loose for a fumble. His running mate, fellow safety Antoine Winfield Jr., was the one to recover the fumble and start taking it the other way for the defense.

“This season, I’m trying to create as many turnovers as possible,” Smith said. “Just to change the momentum of the game and help the offense in any way possible to get the ball back.”

Smith can often be seen looking to punch the ball out and make a big play. Should he be able to elevate his game and knock some more loose this upcoming season, he may just be move his statue to a higher level in the league.

Smith Game Planning With Bucs Legend

There’s another way in which Smith can elevate his game this season. Many have appointed him as a future captain of this team, maybe even this season. Bucs legend Lavonte David, who just retired this year, was one of the first to say Smith can be the guy.

Bucs S Tykee Smith – Photo by: Cliff Welch P/R

As it turns out, Smith and David continue to communicate on the regular. He’s leaned on the future Ring of Honor member on how to get better.

“Me and [Lavonte] still talk today,” Smiths said. “It’s crazy, right before camp started, I asked him what did I need to do in order for me to take that next step in that leader role. He just gave me little tips I could do and then [told me] just keep leading by the way I play on the field and then everything [will] fall into place.”

Pewter Report has given recap of every Bucs training camp practice that has happened thus far. Check out the latest episode from Friday’s events and subscribe to our PewterReportTV YouTube channel.