T.J. Ward gets up after leveling Bears running back Tarik Cohen. (Photo courtesy of Buccaneers.com)

Outside of a beautiful splash play where he served up a bone-rattling tackle on Bears running back Tarik Cohen, Bucs safety T.J. Ward hasn’t done a whole lot for the Bucs on the field. Yet.

It sure sounds like from what both winning Bucs coach Dirk Koetter and defensive coordinator Mike Smith said this week, Ward should get more snaps in each game until he is completely comfortable with Smith’s defense.

While Ward had little impact on the field in one game, his influence in the locker room has already been felt. Fellow safety Keith Tandy explained.

“You can never have too much depth, especially at safety,” Tandy said. “It is a position where you take a beating throughout the season. Anytime you can add someone of his caliber, it is big and we will be special because of it.

“The way he sees things on the field you can tell he’s been with great defenses. He has been in a lot of high pressure situations. It is not one particular thing. But just being around him and listening to him talk and listening to his mentality. That is the main thing right now.”

In other words, Tandy said, Ward has street cred in the locker room and he’s using it, and his resume alone demands attention from teammates.

“Everybody listens because of what he has done in the past,” Tandy said.