The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are hitting the reset button on special teams-and not a moment too soon. After a 2025 season riddled with blocked kicks, shaky coverage, and costly breakdowns, the Bucs are turning to a proven veteran to clean up the mess. Enter Danny Smith, a 72-year-old special teams guru with over three decades of NFL experience and a reputation for elevating units into disciplined, detail-driven assets.
A Rough Year That Demanded Change
Let’s not sugarcoat it-Tampa Bay’s special teams were a liability last season. Two blocked field goals for Chase McLaughlin.
Two blocked punts for Riley Dixon. And the kickoff coverage?
Things got so bad that head coach Todd Bowles openly admitted the team essentially abandoned it late in the year. That’s not just a red flag-that’s a siren blaring across the NFC South.
So, it was no surprise when Thomas McGaughey was relieved of his duties. The Bucs wasted little time bringing in Smith, who spent the last 13 seasons running the Steelers’ special teams unit. His track record speaks for itself, and in Tampa Bay, he’ll have the chance to engineer a full-on turnaround.
Smith’s Resume Brings Instant Credibility
Smith’s units in Pittsburgh were consistently among the league’s best, especially in kickoff coverage. In 2025, his group limited opponents to the fifth-worst average starting field position after kickoffs (their own 29.0-yard line), all while posting the second-lowest touchback rate in the NFL (8.2%).
That’s not just solid-that’s strategic execution that flips field position in your favor. For a Bucs team that struggled to contain returns, that kind of improvement would be a game-changer.
And Smith may not be coming alone. His arrival could open the door for Tampa Bay to sign one of his most trusted special teams aces: two-time Pro Bowler Miles Killebrew.
Killebrew: A Potential Game-Changer
Killebrew is exactly the kind of tone-setter Tampa Bay has been missing. The veteran safety made back-to-back Pro Bowls in 2023 and 2024 thanks to his relentless play on special teams. Over the past two seasons, he logged 622 snaps in that phase of the game before an ACL tear in Week 6 derailed his 2025 campaign.
Even with that injury, Killebrew’s resume is hard to ignore. He leads all active players with four blocked punts and ranks fifth in special teams tackles since entering the league in 2016. That’s the kind of production that flips momentum-and wins games.
He’s also a known commodity for Smith, who coached him in Pittsburgh and watched him lead as a special teams captain from 2022 to 2024. That familiarity could be invaluable in helping implement Smith’s system from the inside out. Think of Killebrew not just as a player, but as a player-coach who can reinforce the message on the field.
And the Cost? Manageable.
Bringing in Killebrew wouldn’t break the bank. His last contract was a two-year, $6.5 million deal, but coming off injury, he could be had for something closer to the veteran minimum-around $1.3 million on a one-year deal. For a team looking to overhaul one of its weakest units, that’s a low-risk, high-reward play.
If his rehab stays on track, Killebrew could be ready by late spring or early summer. That would give him plenty of time to integrate into the system and help set a new tone for a group that desperately needs one.
Specialists Locked In, and Trending Up
One thing Smith won’t have to worry about is who’s kicking and punting for him. Chase McLaughlin and Riley Dixon are both under contract, and both showed enough last season to warrant confidence heading into 2026.
McLaughlin quietly had one of the better years among NFL kickers, drilling 32 of 38 field goals (84.2%) and going an impressive 11-of-12 from 50 yards or more. That kind of long-range consistency is rare, and with Smith having spent over a decade working with Chris Boswell in Pittsburgh, the veteran coach knows how to keep a kicker sharp.
As for Dixon, his season turned around after a rocky start. Following two early blocked punts, the Bucs brought in competition-but Dixon responded.
He ended the year with a career-high 46% of his punts landing inside the 20-yard line (29 of 63), and even earned NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors in Week 13. That’s the kind of bounce-back you want to see from a veteran punter.
A New Era for Bucs Special Teams?
The pieces are starting to fall into place for a special teams renaissance in Tampa Bay. With Danny Smith calling the shots, a potential Killebrew reunion on the horizon, and reliable specialists already in the fold, the Bucs have a real opportunity to turn a chronic weakness into a weekly edge.
In a league where field position and hidden yards often decide close games, this isn’t just a back-page storyline-it’s a potential difference-maker in the NFC South playoff race. If Smith can bring his Pittsburgh magic to Tampa, the Bucs might finally have a special teams unit that lives up to its name.