The Buccaneers made it clear this offseason that their special teams needed to make a change. Through three preseason games, there hasn't been much evidence that those problems have gone away. Tampa Bay hired longtime special teams coordinator Danny Smith after moving on from Thomas McGaughey, hoping his experience could stabilize a unit that was one of the NFL's worst last season. Smith came to Tampa after 13 seasons with Pittsburgh and 29 years as an NFL special teams coordinator, earning a reputation as one of the more respected coaches at his position.
That reputation hasn't translated to the field yet. The latest issue came in Tampa Bay's 19-0 loss to Jacksonville, when Michael Wortham returned a punt 63 yards for a touchdown late in the fourth
quarter. Wortham had already returned another punt 29 yards earlier in the quarter, and what had been a close game quickly turned into another example of Tampa Bay's inability to consistently cover kicks. Todd Bowles didn't overlook it afterward, saying the Bucs gave up a special teams touchdown while noting that two of the team's three phases "didn't show up." Tampa Bay had issues with kickoff coverage against the Jets in the preseason opener, allowing multiple lengthy returns. Kadarius Calloway also muffed a kickoff that left the offense backed up near its own goal line. There have been penalties, missed opportunities in punt coverage and inconsistent returns throughout the preseason. It's especially concerning considering how much attention the Bucs put into fixing the unit.
Tampa Bay ranked 30th in kickoff return average allowed and opponent starting field position following kickoffs last season while also having five kicks blocked. The Bucs didn't just hire Smith to address those problems; they also brought former Steelers special teams standout Miles Killebrew. Bowles provided some context for what happened during the preseason, pointing out that many of the players were also logging significant snaps on offense or defense and were tired. That explanation has some validity. Preseason special teams units are constantly changing as coaches evaluate the bottom of the roster, and several players are being asked to handle workloads they won't see once the games count. Still, the Bucs saw this before, as special teams cost Tampa Bay field position and points too often last season, which is why they brought in Smith with such a strong reputation in the first place. Through August, many of the same mistakes have remained, and the Bucs are running out of time to figure them out before mistakes have real consequences.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Buccaneers special teams struggles continue despite offseason overhaul
