One of Mike Tomlin’s longtime assistants is up for a job in Tampa.
The Buccaneers announced that they have completed an interview with Danny Smith for their special teams coordinator position. Smith held the same role for the Steelers since the 2013 season.
Smith’s time with the Steelers was marked by strong special teams play and frequent camera cuts to his animated responses to good plays on the sideline. Smith worked for Washington, Buffalo, Detroit and Philadelphia before landing on Tomlin’s staff.
The Bucs have now interviewed five candidates since dismissing Thomas McGaughey after the end of their season. Michael Clay, Anthony Levine, Craig Aukerman, and Jett Modkins are the other coaches in the mix.
The Buccaneers have completed two interviews for their special teams coordinator vacancy.
Tampa Bay announced on Thursday that the club spoke virtually with Eagles special teams coordinator Michael Clay and Ravens assistant special teams coach Anthony Levine for the role.
Clay has been the Eagles’ special teams coordinator since 2021. He was previously with the 49ers from 2016-2020, serving as assistant special teams coach in 2016 and from 2018-2020.
Levine played for the Ravens from 2012-2021 before transitioning to player personnel and coaching assistant in 2022. He was the Titans’ assistant special teams coach from 2023-2024 before returning to Baltimore to become that team’s assistant special teams coach in 2025.
The Buccaneers are replacing Thomas McGaughey, who was fired after the regular season.
Running back Rachaad White has spent the last four seasons with the Buccaneers and that time has left him with some clear opinions about how the team is being run.
One thing White believes should change is how much responsibility head coach Todd Bowles carries on gamedays. Bowles calls the team’s defense in addition to overseeing the whole effort and White said during an appearance on the Loose Cannons podcast that he thinks everyone would be better served by Bowles handing that duty off to someone else.
“You can clip this or whatever, but it is what it is. I’m just being real,” White said, via PewterReport.com. “I do feel like coach Bowles, I do think it would be easier on him. I do think he should let somebody else call defense and he just be a head coach. I feel like he’d probably be better off by doing that so he can just focus on really just the head coaching job, and just trust that he has the right defensive staff and things like that.”
The Bucs dismissed two assistants and had a third retire after finishing 20th in points allowed during the 2025 season, but there’s been no indication that they’ll be hiring a traditional defensive coordinator. They are looking for new offensive and special teams coordinators, however, and White said he wonders if you should “just get a new everything” if that’s the case.
White added he understood why the Bucs didn’t decide to totally clean house, but noted it’s “tough” to rebuild a staff on the fly. White may not be there to see the result since he’s set for free agency this offseason and the bluntness of his assessment of where things stand may not do much to help his chances of returning.
Former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel will have a job somewhere in 2026. The only question is: Will he be an assistant coach or will he get a second chance as a head coach?
McDaniel will interview with the Buccaneers for their open offensive coordinator job, Jordan Schultz of The Schultz Report reports.
He has also interviewed for head coaching jobs with the Falcons, Ravens, Titans and Browns and an offensive coordinator job with the Lions. The Eagles are expected to have interest in McDaniel for their open offensive coordinator job, per Schultz.
The Dolphins fired McDaniel after going 35-33 in his four seasons, with an 0-2 playoff record.
He was the offensive coordinator of the 49ers in 2021 after being the team’s run game coordinator from 2017-20.
The Buccaneers announced another interview with a candidate for their special teams coordinator vacancy.
The team met with Craig Aukerman on Wednesday. They previously interviewed Lions assistant special teams coach Jett Modkins.
Aukerman was the Dolphins’ special teams coordinator in 2025 and Mike McDaniel’s dismissal makes him unlikely to return whether he lands a job in Tampa or not. Aukerman was previously the Titans’ special teams coordinator, but was dismissed during the 2023 season after a loss that saw Tennessee get a pair of punts blocked.
The Buccaneers are also looking for a new offensive coordinator as head coach Todd Bowles opted to shake up his staff in the wake of missing the playoffs.
