A new Pewter Report Roundtable debuts every Tuesday on PewterReport.com. Each week, the Pewter Reporters tackle another tough question. This week’s prompt: Who will be the Bucs’ breakout player in training camp?

Scott Reynolds: Playmaker Tykee Smith Will Take Bucs’ Nickelback Job

Bucs DB Tykee Smith – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

If you followed Pewter Report’s pre-draft coverage you know that I was an unabashed Tykee Smith fan at Georgia. He was one of my draft crushes this year in part because I knew he would be an absolute perfect fit in the Bucs defense. The only other person that might have wanted Smith more in Tampa Bay was head coach and defensive play-caller Todd Bowles himself. Bowles’ son, Troy, is a linebacker for the Bulldogs and he’s kept a keen eye on Kirby Smart’s defense, which is similar to Tampa Bay’s, and all of the Georgia defenders that have been drafted into the NFL.

Smith is an absolute playmaker, and he totaled 21.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, eight interceptions, 12 pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a defensive touchdown in four years in college between playing at West Virginia (2019-20) and Georgia (2022-23) with a medical redshirt season in 2021. I think he has the ability to be a splash-play generator in the vein of Antoine Winfield Jr.

Maybe not as dynamic because Winfield is a slightly better athlete, but I think he’ll produce more takeaways than the two interceptions and the forced fumble that Christian Izien created last year during his rookie season.

I think Smith will have a breakout camp and claim the starting nickelback job in no time. Smith should beat out Izien, who may be transitioning back to free safety to backup Winfield this year. Smith comes to the Bucs with a third-round draft status, so there will be an impetus to get him on the field sooner rather than later. And the former Bulldogs standout deserves it due to his high football I.Q., physicality and knack for being in the right place at the right time. Veteran newcomer Tavierre Thomas might be the only challenger Smith has for the slot cornerback role, but Smith will prevail sooner than later thanks to a standout performance in camp.

Matt Matera: Bucky Irving Shows How Good He Can Be

Bucs RB Bucky Irving – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The hype around rookie running back Bucky Irving is already high, but now is the time for him to go out and prove it. Tampa Bay hasn’t been fortunate regarding rookie running backs having a lot of early success, so hopefully Irving can help break the trend. It’ll still be Rachaad White’s backfield to begin, though when White was a rookie, it took a long time for him to be a contributor. That may not be the case with Irving.

The return of training camp means the pads and helmets come on, but more importantly, the physicality of practice is back. On top of that, the Bucs will have two separate joint practices against the Jaguars and one versus the Dolphins. That means Irving will get as many “live looks” as possible.

Where Irving excels best is making quick decisions when hitting the hole and having an ability to stay standing up even after absorbing hits. That can’t always be on display in training camp due to the desire of keeping everybody healthy. However, Irving should be able to find his moments.

With Liam Coen as the offensive coordinator, there is reason to believe that White and Irving can thrive together in the backfield. Each player has their strengths as runners and can also help out in the passing game. White took on tons of rushing attempts last season, so this year, Irving should help make everything more balanced for the group. He’ll be a big part of improving the run game, which is a huge goal for Coen and Co. There’s a reason many fantasy football owners are big on Irving as a late sleeper pick. We won’t have to wait much more longer until we see it.

Bailey Adams: Chris Braswell’s Power Has Him Primed To Stand Out

Bucs OLB Chris Braswell – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Bucs have what feels like a real battle royale-type competition brewing at outside linebacker as training camp gets underway. There are several guys vying for the starting spot on the other side of Yaya Diaby, and I’m pretty high on a few of them. I’m intrigued by Markees Watts, for one, and I’m still of the belief that there’s a chance we see Joe Tryon-Shoyinka finally put it all together in his fourth season. But my breakout player for Bucs camp is someone else: rookie outside linebacker Chris Braswell.

Braswell, Tampa Bay’s 2024 second-round pick out of Alabama, is physical, strong and plays with a high motor. His game shares some similarities with Diaby’s, and I think he’ll fit right in with Todd Bowles’ defense and hit the ground running in his first NFL training camp.

Braswell will be thrown right into the fire, too, as he’ll spend camp squaring off against an elite left tackle in Tristan Wirfs and a strong, physical right tackle in Luke Goedeke. But the rookie is no stranger to stiff competition, as he stuck around at Alabama and practiced against some of the best players in the nation while biding his time for an opportunity. He didn’t transfer elsewhere for playing time — he stuck with it and was rewarded for it.

The Bucs are big Braswell believers, and even if he doesn’t emerge from training camp as the starter opposite Diaby, I think the seeds will be planted for there to be no real surprise when the rookie goes from rotational piece to full-fledged starter by the end of his first season.

Josh Queipo: Jordan Whitehead Will Remind People Of What An Elite Safety Duo Can Do

Bucs SS Jordan Whitehead – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Last year the Bucs thought they got an incredible value when they picked up Ryan Neal on a one-year flyer. Neal was coming off a stellar year in Seattle and the hopes were that, paired with Antoine Winfield Jr., the Bucs would have a high-caliber back-end duo. That hope never transpired as Neal had a poor season, eventually getting benched to a rotation with Dee Delaney and Zyon McCollum.

While Winfield has ascended to the best safety in the NFL, the Bucs decided to re-prioritize his running mate and have re-united with former strong safety Jordan Whitehead. While Whitehead may be a known quantity for the Bucs and their fans, I think he may be a breakout candidate for two reasons. First off, during his two-year tenure with the Jets Whitehead proved he was a better coverage player than the Bucs trusted him to be in his first go-round with the team that drafted him in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

But beyond that, you may hear all sorts of talk about Whitehead during camp this year because of how much the safety play will be improved with him replacing Neal and how he can help unlock Winfield’s playmaking at all three levels of the field. A known veteran quantity may not seem like a sexy choice for a “breakout” candidate. But perception is king in debates like this. And Whitehead should bring the perception that the safety position is miles better than last year.

Adam Slivon: Zyon McCollum Will Show Why He Is One Of Todd Bowles’ Favorites

Bucs HC Todd Bowles And CB Zyon McCollum – Photo by: USA Today

This one was a toss-up between rookie wide receiver Jalen McMillan and cornerback Zyon McCollum. While McMillan is thought of highly by the Bucs and was recently called a “young stud” by quarterback Baker Mayfield, I want to take the time to instead focus on the third-year corner who is primed to have a breakout season. One that will start in earnest in the coming days at training camp.

Coincidentally in the past two SR’s Fab 5 columns, McCollum has been mentioned. In the latter, it was head coach Todd Bowles going over why he loved what he did last season and how the young Buccaneer is preparing to make big plays this season. In the former, it was briefly brought up that the defensive mastermind has favorites – and Zyon McCollum is one of them.

Since entering the league as a fifth-round pick back in 2022, McCollum has been on a steady upward trajectory. Although he played sparingly his rookie year and went through his fair share of ups and downs, last season he played the most of any Bucs cornerback and was the most consistent, finishing with 68 total tackles and nine pass deflections. Entering his third year, he has been given the opportunity to be a full-time starter with the team trading away Carlton Davis III. It may be a case of things lining up at the right time as all indications are that his best football lies ahead of him.

There is no questioning the physical traits that he possesses. Standing at 6-foot-2 and roughly 200 pounds, with a 4.33 40-yard time and 39 1/2 inch-vertical, McCollum has a unicorn athletic profile. What has held him from completely taking off has been getting down all of the mental aspects of being an NFL cornerback, but he has spoken this offseason of that catching up and equating to results.

“Last year I got a little bit more comfortable, so I have more opportunities to – you know – just get off the leash and just go,” McCollum said on the Pewter Report Podcast. “No second-guessing. I was able to touch some footballs, but not officially bringing one in. So this year it’s time to just bring everything together. No second-guessing. Just go out there play with these quarterbacks’ heads and make some plays.”

After leading the team in interceptions at OTAs and mini-camp, McCollum is primed to further breakout and have everything come together in training camp.