According to SFdata9ers, Tampa Bay currently ranks among the NFL's best special teams units through two games, a major turnaround from what became one of the team's biggest weaknesses last season. The change starts with Danny Smith. Tampa Bay hired Smith after moving on from Thomas McGaughey following a disastrous 2025 season. The Bucs allowed five blocked kicks, finished 27th in kickoff return yardage, and ranked 30th in opponent starting field position following kickoffs.
Things became so bad that Tampa Bay essentially stopped trying to cover kickoffs late in the season, instead settling for touchbacks and giving opponents the ball at the 35. Against Cincinnati, the Bucs held the Bengals to just 23.7 yards per kickoff return. Tampa Bay's own
return unit averaged 29.4 yards on seven attempts, numbers that would have ranked near the top of the NFL last season, and the improvement continued against Cleveland. The Browns never reached 35 yards on a kickoff return, while Kameron Johnson broke loose for a 48-yard return late in the fourth quarter. It marked the second consecutive game Tampa Bay produced a kickoff return of more than 40 yards.
Chase McLaughlin has also been perfect through two games, while Riley Dixon and the punt coverage unit have avoided the costly mistakes that hurt Tampa Bay last season. Smith deserves plenty of credit. The veteran coordinator spent 13 seasons running Pittsburgh's special teams before joining Tampa Bay. His Steelers units blocked 21 kicks during that stretch, while Miles Killebrew developed into a two-time Pro Bowl special teams player under him. His impact is already being noticed inside the locker room. SirVocea Dennis recently credited Smith's approach and how he positions players, adding that Smith is the type of coach players will "run through a wall for." It is still only two games, but this does not look like the same Buccaneers special teams unit. Last season, special teams consistently put Tampa Bay in difficult situations. Through two weeks under Smith, it has instead created field position and given the offense opportunities.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Bucs special teams continues to improve under Danny Smith
