Danny Smith could transform the Buccaneers’ biggest weakness into a strength

One of the most underrated moves the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made this offseason was hiring Danny Smith as their new special teams coordinator. 

The Buccaneers’ special teams were a consistent weakness throughout the 2025 season. Tampa Bay allowed five blocked kicks last season and finished No. 30 in kickoff coverage. 

It was an under-the-radar factor that quietly hurt the Bucs week after week, butwith Smith at the helm, the arrow is finally pointing up.

Danny Smith is bringing a new standard to Tampa Bay Buccaneers special teams

Tampa Bay’s special teams unit has been among the NFL’s worst in recent years. They’ve been unable to create big plays of their own, while allowing far too many game-changing plays from opponents. 

Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com summed the phenomenon up perfectly. 

"I'm going to define "big plays" on special teams as blocked punts or placekicks, kickoff returns of 40+ yards, punt returns of 20+ yards, turnovers forced and, of course, touchdowns, elusive as those may be for the Buccaneers in the last decade-plus. If you add these five categories up, the Bucs had five on their side of the ledger, while allowing 15. Ouch… They allowed a league-high nine kickoff returns of 40+ yards while producing only one. No other team allowed more than six kickoff returns of that length."

Scott Smith, Bucccaneers.com

Danny Smith represents the complete opposite of what Tampa Bay had on special teams last season, overseeing some of the NFL’s best units during his 13-year stint in Pittsburgh. 

One key part of that is his high-energy coaching style that gets players to buy in. All-Pro special teams ace Miles Killebrew signed with the Buccaneers this offseason, and he said getting to play for Smith again was the biggest reason he signed with Tampa Bay. 

The most important factor to Smith’s success, though, is his obsessive attention to detail. He leaves no stone unturned in his quest to have his unit prepared for every possible scenario. There’s a reason he’s one of the NFL’s longest-tenured and most respected coaches. 

Pewter Report observed the attention to detail Smith has brought to Tampa Bay, something that was missing in recent years. 

“The level of attention to detail from special teams coordinator Danny Smith… Bucs are practicing an onside kick recovery drill, rotating different guys through the hands team. Not just that, but the efficiency. He has both longsnappers and kicker BT Potter delivering kick after kick to maximize reps.”

It’s a refreshing change for a unit that often goes overlooked, but has a massive impact on wins and losses. For all of the attention that has been given to the Buccaneers’ offensive and defensive improvements this offseason, special teams could quietly be Tampa Bay’s biggest turnaround. They finally have a coach capable of turning their perennial weakness into a strength.

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