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Buccaneers Hire Danny Smith, Move Anzalone to 2026 Mo Role

6/13/2026

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Summary

Buccaneers Hire Smith

Tampa Bay Buccaneers hired Danny Smith as special teams coordinator in January.
Smith, after 13 Steelers seasons, prefers kicking over touchbacks because the 2025 rule moved them to the 35-yard line, logging 17 of 18 kickoffs as touchbacks in the final four games of 2025.
Inside linebacker Alex Anzalone will take the weakside “Mo” role in Todd Bowles’ 2026 defense after learning Bowles’ system during Organized Team Activities.

Summary

Buccaneers Practice Cancelled

NFL canceled the Buccaneers' Wednesday OTA practice after deeming the session “too physical,” citing three or four ground-hit plays.
Coach Todd Bowles said the CBA no-contact policy makes coaches personally responsible, although the league noted he was not fined.
The Buccaneers join the Detroit Lions (2024), Washington Commanders (2022), Dallas Cowboys (2023) and Chicago Bears (2022) as teams penalized for similar violations.

History

Historical Context

The 2011 NFL lockout, ending on July 25 2011, forced a new collective bargaining agreement that capped player contact in off-season workouts and gave the NFLPA enforcement authority. That agreement, built on a revenue split of 57 percent of the league’s $8 billion earnings, now drives OTA penalties for Todd Bowles’s Buccaneers and clubs such as the Lions, Commanders, Cowboys and Bears.

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Buccaneers Hire Smith

Tampa Bay Buccaneers hired Danny Smith as special teams coordinator in January.
Smith, after 13 Steelers seasons, prefers kicking over touchbacks because the 2025 rule moved them to the 35-yard line, logging 17 of 18 kickoffs as touchbacks in the final four games of 2025.
Inside linebacker Alex Anzalone will take the weakside “Mo” role in Todd Bowles’ 2026 defense after learning Bowles’ system during Organized Team Activities.

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