The Bucs have hired veteran coach Danny Smith as their special teams coordinator, per Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network. Smith is a veteran coach who has been coaching for 50 years. He’s 72-years old and spent the previous 13 seasons with the Steelers. With head coach Mike Tomlin stepping down in Pittsburgh, a new coach is coming in and presumably is bringing his own staff. This opened up an opportunity for him to come to Tampa Bay.
The #Buccaneers are hiring veteran special teams coordinator Danny Smith, sources tell me and @RapSheet. Now 50 years into his coaching career, Smith is still going and still considered one of the best in the biz. On to Tampa for the 72-year-old, gum-chewing Smith. pic.twitter.com/Apn4dYj71q
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) January 20, 2026
It’s a huge hire for the Bucs and a great decision as well. They fired Thomas McGaughey after two seasons following several special teams mistakes last season. Smith is considered to be one of the best in business when it comes to special teams as Tampa Bay looks to right some wrongs in with their special teams units.
Bucs Get Major Upgrade With Special Teams Hire
Danny Smith has tons of coaching history in the NFL for several decades with extensive experience as a special teams coordinator across multiple organizations. His units in with the Steelers were consistently among the league’s most disciplined and fundamentally sound.
Bucs ST Coordinator Danny Smith – Photo by IMAGN Images – Eric Hartline
Smith’s special teams groups have traditionally emphasized coverage integrity, protection consistency, and situational awareness — areas that directly align with Tampa Bay’s most glaring issues in 2025. Blocked kicks, uneven return lanes, and lapses in execution cost the Bucs field position and points at critical moments, forcing the coaching staff into weekly damage control.
For a Bucs roster that features young contributors and fringe players on special teams, the structure that Smith brings is invaluable. Smith’s experience would suggest the Bucs want fewer teaching moments on Sundays — and more clean execution.
Bringing in Danny Smith reinforces that the Bucs are serious about fixing special teams, not simply reshuffling responsibilities. Smith has seen every situation the NFL can offer and can bring that knowledge to a group that needs vast improvement even things up.
Bucs ST Coordinator Danny Smith – Photo by IMAGN Images – Brian Fluharty
There’s some more questions that the Bucs need to answer at other coaching positions, but they know they’re starting the 2026 season with an excellent addition to an important area of the team.