Bucs special teams continues to improve under Danny Smith

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.