Buccaneers ST Coordinator Smith on Coaching: 'I Need It'

New Tampa Bay Buccaneers' special teams coordinator Danny Smith could have walked off into the sunset.

At 72, Smith was well past the traditional retirement age.

When Pittsburgh Steelers' head coach Mike Tomlin, who was Smith's boss for 13 seasons, resigned at the end of last season, it would have been reasonable to think that Smith would have left the Steelers and coaching altogether.

Half of that happened. Indeed, Tomlin's assistants were told to seek new employment, which effectively ended Smith's time with the Steelers. But Smith wasn't looking to retire, and it just so happened that the Buccaneers needed a new special teams coordinator.

Less than two weeks after Tomlin resigned, the Bucs hired Smith.

For Smith, retiring was never an option.

"I don't know anything but (work)," Smith told reporters Tuesday. "I need competition and preparation. I need it. I need it in my life, I need competition and preparation, and that's why I do it. And I love it. And I love this camp. 

So what made Tampa the right place for Smith?

"The culture that is here is special," Smith said, "and I feel it, and I'm proud to be a part of it.

"It's a culture that's been developed again through ownership, through administration, through (the) coaching staff.

One could easily make the argument that special teams were a reason the Bucs didn't win their fifth straight NFC South title in 2025.

Tampa didn't block a punt all year and had two of its punts blocked.

Tampa also had three field goals blocked and didn't block any.

Considering the team lost six of its nine games by one possession, and lost the division on a tiebreaker, a blocked punt or kick could have gotten the Bucs to the playoffs.

Smith said he's watched every special teams play from Tampa's 2025 season, and saw some positives along with the negatives.

Smith isn't the only ex-Steeler joining the Bucs special teams unit in 2026.

Tampa signed Miles Killebrew, a defensive back better known for being one of the best special teamers in the game, earning first-team All-Pro honors in 2023 and making it to the Pro Bowl in 2023 and 2024.

The Bucs also signed Kenneth Gainwell, who was the team's MVP in 2025.  

Gainwell is better known for his running (537 yards, five touchdowns, 4.7 yards per carry) and receiving (73 catches, 486 yards, three touchdowns) capabilities than anything he's done on special teams.

But Smith said that Gainwell would "fight him about being on special teams," meaning that he wants to contribute.

At the end of the presser, Smith showcased a sense of humor that made him a fan favorite amongst Steelers fans, joking that his press conference answers were "worse than (the reporters) going to the dentist."

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