Bucs tackle Donovan Smith has a big season ahead, going into a contract year as part of a reshuffled offensive line. Still only 24, he has started all 48 games in his three NFL seasons, and has made it a priority in the offseason to be more active in helping the Tampa Bay community.

One charity that is very close to him is Autism Speaks — his nephew Aiden has nonverbal autism. He chose that for his "My Cause, My Cleats" campaign last season, and he'll take part in Tampa's Autism Speaks Walk on Saturday, starting in the parking lots north of Raymond James Stadium.

He is also hosting a "Bowling for Autism" charity event May 7 at Pin Chasers on Armenia, with several high-profile teammates playing as well. He took time Tuesday to talk about his offseason, his work with autism and his love of bowling.

This bowling event is personal for you, both in what you're doing for fun and the cause you're working to support.

"I'm big in bowling. I figured it's Autism Awareness Month, and what better way to potentially raise money than have some of the guys come out and fans and be able to bowl with one another. One hundred percent of the proceeds go to Autism Speaks. It's putting together my hobbies with something I like to do with raising money for a great cause."

Which teammates do you have lined up right now?

"I've got Gerald McCoy, Kwon Alexander, Lavonte David, Vinny Curry … "

Who's the best bowler out of that lot?

"I'd have to say me. Josh Robinson will tell you and he'll also be there. But I'd say I'm the best bowler, obviously."

Do you keep track of your average?

"My average is about 190-200."

How often do you bowl in the offseason?

"It just really depends. I like to go maybe two to three times a week if I can."

You have to have your own shoes, right? There's no way they keep shoes that big behind the counter.

"You'd be surprised. They have big sizes there. I've got a size-16 shoe."

Sign up now and Join me and a few of my teammates Such as @LavonteDavid54 @Geraldini93 @kwon @Jaboowins @MikeEvans13_ to bowl for a cause chances to win GREAT prizes as well.. game worn jersey by me and plenty more .. https://t.co/zwPoUWbfB3 pic.twitter.com/ta9DysU6IY — Donovan Smith (@DSmith_76) April 18, 2018

Have you always liked bowling, back to when you were a kid?

"It runs in the family. My mom's a bowler, my brother's a bowler, my grandmother bowls. I've pretty much been in bowling alleys since I was a kid. It kind of just stuck and has been a hobby."

Do you keep a ball in the car?

"I have five or six balls. They stay in the house. I don't want the weather to destroy them."

Back to football, did you have personal goals for this offseason, either physically or just things you wanted to do for yourself?

"It's been good. I've just focused on being out in the community more. I just wanted to make sure I get involved."

You and Ali Marpet went to dinner with new Bucs center Ryan Jensen when he visited during free agency. What do you like about him and what can he bring to this offensive line?

"He's a good guy. Any time you can bring in a vet with his experience and how he plays — physical and mean and a bigger body — it's definitely good. He's a great guy. We've enjoyed our time together with him."

You and Ali have been together since you came into the league in 2015, but you've never played next to him here as you will with him at left guard.

"It will be cool. It will be the Senior Bowl all over again."

The draft will change things even more in a few days, but how excited are you by the moves the Bucs have made in free agency to get better for 2018?

"We can be as good as we want to be, or as bad as we want to be. It all falls into our hands. The NFL is the NFL. All teams are good. There's a very thin margin for error. You can put whatever guys you want on a team, but if you're not executing and playing good football, it really doesn't matter. I'm real excited for our adds, the guys we got in free agency and on the defensive side of the ball, we're setting the tone with that. I know Gerald and Kwon and everybody else is just as excited as us. It should be fun."

It seems there's a good vibe in the locker room to try to make this a better showing than what you had last year in going 5-11.

"Potentially. There's always a good vibe. It's your job. It's what guys have been doing since they were little. To have that drive and fire, it's about building chemistry and knowing each other as time goes on."

For you, personally, you're going into a contract year. There's been talk with you, as with Ali and Kwon, about them wanting to extend your contracts. How much of a motivation is that for you, to want to make the most of that opportunity?

"It's definitely very motivating, to be able to set yourself apart and really get that big contract that a lot of people work hard for. It's definitely a motivation factor, but it's not my focus right now."

Right after the season, Dirk Koetter went out of his way to say he thought the criticism you deal with was largely unfounded: "All Donovan Smith does is play hurt, play consistent, play against the best pass-rushers in the world," he said. "Donovan Smith is a pretty darn good football player." What did that mean for you to hear him support you like that?

"It means a lot. We all have each other's backs in that building, and it should be that way. But to be able to have the head coach come out and defend you or whatever, it means a lot. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is what goes on in the building, in the eyes of from owners to GM to head coach to players in the building. A lot of criticism, there's talk and stuff, but it really doesn't matter. It means a lot for him to have my back like that."