In football, a slant route is built on timing and precision. The receiver does not waste motion – he breaks sharply across the field into open space before the defense can react. It is simple in design, but separation is created through execution.
That same approach defines my weekly Saturday Bucs column, Slivon’s Slant.
Each week since May 9th, I have taken a look inside a different Bucs position group. The goal has been to cut through the surface to find the clearest path in evaluating this roster as it takes shape. Once training camp begins, the column will shift gears and provide different angles for breaking down and discussing the team.
So far, I have offered in-depth profiles of the quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end, offensive line, defensive line, outside linebacker, inside linebacker, cornerback, and safety positions.
With that, the conclusion of this series will examine players on special teams.
Inside The Bucs Special Teams Room
Money McLaughlin: Chase McLaughlin
No one viewed Chase McLaughlin as the answer to the Bucs’ kicking woes when he signed with the team in 2023. Back then, McLaughlin was a journeyman kicker brought in to compete with a similar player in Rodrigo Blankenship that summer.
Since then, he has solidified himself as one of the most accurate and strongest-legged kickers in the league.
Bucs K Chase McLaughlin – Photo by: IMAGN Images
McLaughlin’s time in Tampa Bay has seen him rank among the game’s best in field goals made, field goals made beyond 50 yards, and field goal percentage since 2023:
Field goals made: 91 – sixth-most
Field goals made beyond 50 yards: 26 – third-most
Field goal percentage: 90.1% – 11th-most
All of those numbers point to “Chase Bank” almost always being open as he has earned the status of being a top 10 kicker. His 2025 season was the most up-and-down of his Bucs tenure, as he connected on 84.2% of his field goals compared to 93.5% in 2023 and 93.8% in 2024. Taking out his early season struggles of missing a kick in each of the first three games, and his field goal percentage jumps up to 89.7%.
It was encouraging to see him bounce back, and he was absolutely lethal when it came to converting offensive drives that stalled into points. Not only did he make 11 of 12 field goals beyond 50 yards, but that included making a 65-yard moonshot that is tied for the fourth longest in NFL history. Heading into 2026, the Bucs can rely on McLaughlin coming through and putting points on the board — no matter how far.
Field-Flipping Foot: Riley Dixon
After going through a turnstile of punters in 2024, the Bucs brought in Riley Dixon last season to stabilize the position. After surviving an ugly first month that featured two blocked punts, Dixon quietly turned his season around. The 11-year veteran now has more control on his job entering this season, and it has not been talked about enough how much he settled in.
Bucs P Riley Dixon – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
Dixon found his groove as the year progressed, which included him winning NFC Special Teams Player of the Week in Week 13 against the Cardinals. Overall, he punted 63 times and averaged 44.7 yards per punt (38.9 net yards per punt) in 2025. That included 29 punts downed inside the opponent’s 20-yard line, which was a career high 46% of the time.
To put his improvement into perspective, the last six games of the season saw 12 of Dixon’s 19 punts (63.2%) downed inside of the 20. His ability to “coffin corner” opposing teams and flip the field position was a positive enough sign for Tampa Bay to exercise his $3 million team option for 2026. As long as Dixon avoids getting his punts blocked — which should be fully ironed out by special teams coordinator Danny Smith — he has a chance to be an impactful punter that can aid the team’s quest in winning the hidden yardage battle.
Special Teams Spark: Miles Killebrew
What Miles Killebrew accomplished under Danny Smith has been mentioned ad nauseam to this point. Profiling the safety room, I went over how Killebrew has been one of the league’s most dynamic special teamers. The question surrounding the 33-year-old is how much of that remains after suffering a torn ACL that prematurely ended his 2025 season and has prevented him from getting onto the practice field this offseason.
Should he be fully recovered and get back to his previous level of play, there is plenty to like about Killebrew’s leadership and potential to spark a turnaround on the special teams unit. Tampa Bay has lacked that type of veteran presence on special teams since the days when Keith Tandy and Kevin Minter helped set the tone for the unit. Signing the two-time Pro Bowler to fill that void is huge, especially as he knows what it takes to oversee a successful operation playing under Smith. The two reuniting sets the tone and establishes a standard that previous struggles are no longer tolerated.
Killebrew will be key in improved kick coverage, tackling, and even in blocking a kick or punt this season.
Return Race: Tez Johnson, Kameron Johnson, and Sean Tucker
Although Tez Johnson did not log any return work in 2025, the logjam in front of him in the Bucs wide receiver room warrants a longer look at him handling kick and punt returns this season. Johnson flashed those abilities in the second preseason game last year, as he had a 37-yard punt return against the Steelers. Across five college seasons, it is worth noting he averaged 9.3 yards on 56 punt returns, even returning one back to the house for a touchdown for the Oregon Ducks in 2024.
Bucs WR-PR Kameron Johnson – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
His main competition is Kam Johnson, who handled much of the responsibilities for Tampa Bay last season. Johnson earned his keep averaging 11.2 yards on 26 punt returns and 25.4 yards on 27 kick returns. He flashed the ability to almost break one and set the offense up in favorable positions to start drives, along with winning NFC Special Teams Player of the Week in Week 1 after a 54-yard punt return. Sean Tucker was the other kick returner alongside him, averaging 23 yards on 26 returns. Those three make up the top three of the returner depth chart heading into training camp, and each is a dynamic threat to make defenders miss.
Coverage Crew: Ko Kieft, Josh Hayes, Rashad Wisdom, Chris Braswell, Christian Rozeboom, Nick Jackson, Chase Lucas, and Kemon Hall
Highlighting the rest of the Bucs special teams contributors is an exercise of projecting how things will shake out. While most of the listed players will make the 53-man roster, each’s best chance at seeing the field will come on special teams. The two who have made the most impact are Ko Kieft and Josh Hayes. Kieft has excelled as a coverage tackler, while Hayes’ best ability is serving as a gunner. It is worth noting that when discussing the special teams, Miles Killebrew name-dropped Rashad Wisdom for being a piece of the puzzle.
Bucs OLB Chris Braswell – Photo by: IMAGN Images
Veteran additions Christian Rozeboom, Chase Lucas and Kemon Hall all arrive with extensive special teams backgrounds, while younger players Chris Braswell, Rashad Wisdom and Nick Jackson will likely have to earn roster spots through Danny Smith’s units. Coverage and tackling responsibilities will fall on many of these players, and it is a blend of returning players and newcomers Danny Smith has to work with and gel together.
Steady Snapper: Evan Deckers
There is not a ton to say about Evan Deckers, as being a long snapper is not a glamorous job. He has held down the role without a hitch after taking over for Zach Triner in 2024. At 27 years old, he has the chance to hold down long snapping duties for years to come. Deckers has already established chemistry with Chase McLaughlin and Riley Dixon, giving Tampa Bay continuity throughout the specialist operation.
Closing Slant
There are plenty of moving pieces and aspects of the Bucs special teams unit entering 2026. Under one of the most well-respected coaches in Danny Smith, there are heightened expectations about how much the group can positively impact games in various ways. While the struggles of the past shifted several outcomes to losses, Smith has to find ways to flip close games into wins.
Bucs ST coordinator Danny Smith – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
That starts with flipping the field position battle by preventing long kickoff and punt returns through schematic changes while opening lanes for Tampa Bay’s trio of returners to set up the offense with short fields.
Football is a game of inches, so imagine how much even a few yards will decide close contests.
From a specialist standpoint, there should be no worries surrounding Chase McLaughlin’s abilities to knock the ball between the uprights. Riley Dixon’s late-season upswing offers hope his punting issues are behind him. With Miles Killebrew leading the charge as a veteran voice of the unit, all indications are that Tampa Bay has the pieces to turn one of last year’s biggest weaknesses into one of this year’s quiet strengths.