TAMPA, Fla. -- The Bucs are going slowly with one player who normally goes all out.

That’s safety Dashon Goldson. He had ankle surgery after last season and was forced to sit out the entire offseason program. Goldson is healthy now, but the Bucs don’t want to rush him.

“We want to get him incorporated into everything, but we limited his reps,’’ coach Lovie Smith said. “We had him start off and that was pretty much it. We’ll be able to progress a little bit with his reps. But I was impressed with his movement.’’

Backup Major Wright took a lot of reps with the first team Saturday. But the Bucs have big plans for Goldson.

“He’s a very smart football player,’’ Smith said. “We’re going to ask an awful lot [of him]. It’s our Mike linebacker and our free safety -- they make most of the checks, most of the calls. They’re our Hardy Nickerson and John Lynch.’’

Goldson ran into problems last year with illegal hits and was suspended for one game. Smith said he’s confident that won’t be an issue this season.

“He has great knowledge, and we know he’ll hit," Smith said. "We’ll get him to lower that target."