Buccaneers' Evan Smith: Receives roster bonus Wednesday

Smith, who started at center and both guard spots last season, received a $1 million roster bonus Wednesday, essentially guaranteeing his return in 2017, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Analysis:

The versatile 30-year-old had been rumored to be a potential salary-cap cut this offseason, but Wednesday's bonus payment put that possibility to rest. Smith will thus play out the final season of his four-year contract with the Bucs in 2017 and is expected to at a minimum serve as a valuable backup along the interior of the offensive line. Smith is even a candidate to compete for the starting center job he'd held in 2014, but Tampa also re-signed Joe Hawley later Wednesday, who held down that role last season when healthy.