As the 2025 season tested the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with injuries, inconsistency, and constant defensive reshuffling, one positive trend steadily emerged: the growth of the team’s young defenders. Forced into expanded and unfamiliar roles, several developed much more quickly than anticipated.
Second-year safety Tykee Smith became the stabilizing force in a secondary that rarely stayed intact from week to week. Smith played all over the field, rotating between deep safety, box defender, and coverage responsibilities against tight ends and slot receivers. He finished the season with 100 total tackles, 13 passes defended, two sacks, and one interception, numbers that reflect both opportunity and growth. More importantly, Smith handled increased communication duties as injuries around him mounted, showing leadership well beyond his experience level.
Rookie cornerback Jacob Parrish was another beneficiary of circumstance. Injuries and matchup needs pushed him into regular rotation snaps both outside and in the slot. Parrish responded with physicality and versatility, recording 80 total tackles, two sacks, seven passes defended, and two interceptions. His role often expanded week-to-week, including blitz packages and run support assignments, accelerating his learning curve while exposing him to some of the league’s toughest matchups, including Tetairoa McMillan in the season finale, where he gave up a 4th-down touchdown but also recorded a timely interception.
Fellow rookie Benjamin Morrison faced a different challenge.
Early-season injuries limited his availability and consistency, but when healthy, he rotated into perimeter coverage roles against veteran receivers. Morrison totaled 26 tackles and four passes defended, often stepping in during critical stretches when depth was thin. While his snap count came in spurts, the experience of rotating through multiple coverage responsibilities helped build his foundation for a larger role moving forward, especially with Jamel Dean set to become a free agent.
Up front, Elijah Roberts quietly capitalized on opportunity. Injuries along the defensive line forced the rookie into an expanded rotational role, where he logged 13 tackles and two sacks. Roberts was tasked with holding his ground against seasoned linemen while also contributing as a situational pass rusher, an adjustment that accelerated his development. He was one of the most successful pass rushers, with a pass-rush win percentage over 11%.
The Buccaneers’ defense may have endured a turbulent 2025 season, but they grew through it. Smith, Parrish, Morrison, and Roberts didn’t just survive being “thrown into the fire”, they rose to the occasion. As Tampa Bay looks ahead to 2026, that hard-earned experience could become the backbone of the future of a young defense.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Bucs defenders emerge stronger through turbulent 2025 season
