Tampa Bay Buccaneers Hire Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers Coach
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles has recruited a longtime Pittsburgh Steelers assistant for his special teams coordinator vacancy.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Buccaneers announced that they have hired Danny Smith as their new special teams coordinator. Smith had held the same position for the Steelers under Mike Tomlin since the 2013 season.
We’ve hired Danny Smith as our special teams coordinator.
Welcome to Tampa Bay, Coach Smith! 👏 pic.twitter.com/lP02n1BZKM
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) January 20, 2026
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fired five assistants after finishing the season with a disappointing 8-9 record, missing out on the playoffs since 2019.
Todd Bowles let go of offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard, quarterbacks coach Thaddeus Lewis, special teams coach Thomas McGaughey, defensive line coach Charlie Strong and cornerbacks coach Kevin Ross.
Last week, Mike Tomlin announced his resignation from the Steelers after 19 seasons. Danny Smith has now left, and OC Arthur Smith is taking interviews with other teams and is likely on the way out.
Before coming to Pittsburgh, Danny Smith previously served as the special teams coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles (1995 to 1998), Buffalo Bills (2001 to 2023) and Washington (2004 to 2012).
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Were Decimated By Injuries In 2025
Many wondered if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would fire Todd Bowles after losing seven of their final nine games. Instead, ownership decided to give him the opportunity to turn things around.
One can understand the frustration from Bucs fans about the decision to keep Bowles. But they surely would have won the NFC South if key players like Mike Evans (nine games missed), Bucky Irving (seven games), Chris Godwin (eight games) and Tristan Wirfs (five games) didn’t miss significant time to injury.
The Bucs’ offense clearly missed former OC Liam Coen, who took the Jacksonville Jaguars’ HC gig. They finished 18th in scoring offense under Grizzard, one year after placing fourth in that category, per Pro Football Reference.
It’s on Bowles to make the right hires and fix this ASAP. Otherwise, he won’t be coaching in Tampa beyond 2026.
