Former Bucs Head Coach Contributing to New DB's Success

Tavierre Thomas is having success in training camp, and he credits some of that to a former Bucs head coach.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive back Tavierre Thomas. / Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The No. 3 has been impactful for new Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Tavierre Thomas.

Significant because the Buccaneers are his third NFL team, he's played three years at each of his last two stops, and he's currently the third free saftey on the unofficial depth chart behind Antoine Winfield Jr. and Kaevon Merriweather.

He's also snagged three interceptions in his first training camp with Tampa Bay, after having none the previous two years.

Of course, Thomas would like to turn one of those threes into a two and climb the Bucs depth chart this preseason. To do it, he'll need to stack solid practice performances with similar production in preseason games, showing the team he can perform on a competitive field just as well as he can on the practice field.

READ MORE: Bucs Ranked in Mid Tier of NFC Contenders By CBS Sports

"The ball is money. Anytime the ball is around me, anytime I get my hands on it, I'm trying to take it away," Thomas says. "Every play, [I try] to punch the ball out or get the ball."

It's the type of mentality that fits well with Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles, but it's not the first time we've seen a leader of this franchise want that type of approach from their players.

In fact, there's a former Tampa Bay head coach Thomas credits for helping him adopt the, 'ball is money,' mentality.

"Lovie Smith taught me that, and I just stuck with it," Thomas continued. "Even on special teams, my goal is to get the ball out, and that's what [I will] continue to try to do."

Of course, Thomas and Smith didn't meet with the Bucs. That meeting took place when Smith was the head coach of the Houston Texans, and we're sure this squad would love to benefit from some of the things he learned along the way.

Thomas isn't too worried about depth charts at this point, however. He's more focused on handling his business when he's on the field because his football life has taught him if you do that you'll get more time out there eventually.

"For me, I just try to keep my head down. You [have] to know your why, and my why is my wife and my son, [because] with [those] two on my side, there's nothing I can't do," Thomas said. "That's my mindset, [to] go out, [and] play hard. Each opportunity I get, [I] just keep going. Each and every day, learning something, [and] getting 1% better. Learning safety is hard, but [I've picked] up on it. I've picked up on [a lot of it], and it's just keeping your head down [and] keeping God first. Then, the sky is the limit. [I] just [have] to keep going, [and] keep pushing the gas."

If Thomas does those things and converts practice takeaways into preseason production, then he'll have a solid chance at earning his spot on the Buccaneers' active roster this season. The good news for him is that he'll have three chances to prove he belongs with his third NFL team in Tampa Bay.

READ MORE: 3 Key Takeaways From Day 12 of Tampa Bay Buccaneers Training Camp 2024

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