September 1 Updates
Thomas McGaughey is going into his 12th consecutive season as a special teams coordinator in the NFL, having previously held that role with the Jets, 49ers, Panthers and Giants before joining the Buccaneers last year. He hasn't been this excited about the assets at his disposal in almost a decade.
It has often been noted that special teams coaches have the most complicated job of any assistant on an NFL staff because, rather than working with one specific position group, they have to tutor almost every player on the 53-man roster. However, while they do get to work with dozens of different players, they don't always get to choose who those players are going to be. In this year's roster reduction to 53, a task completed last Tuesday, the Buccaneers clearly did take special teams impact into serious consideration at several spots.
Last week, Head Coach Todd Bowles identified linebacker John Bullock, outside linebacker Markees Watts and wide receiver Ryan Miller as players who specifically made the team due to their special teams prowess. It's likely that at least had something to do with Ko Kieft, Kameron Johnson, Kindle Vildor, Rashad Wisdom and Josh Williams sticking around, as well. With the adjusted kickoff rules making touchbacks much less desirable for the kicking team, coaches expect to need strong cover men more than ever, and are adjusting accordingly.
"We have a lot of guys, it is exciting," said McGaughey of the team's candidates for coverage units. "We have a guy at each position -- maybe two -- that is going to be there. It is going to be a really, really good group. Anywhere from eight-to-10 guys [are] solid. That is the first time I have been around that in a long time -- probably since I was in Carolina in 2016. I am excited about the group."
Bullock, an undrafted free agent this spring and former walk-on at Nebraska, probably made the steepest climb thanks to his work on coverage units. A couple days after he recorded three special teams tackles in the preseason finale against Buffalo, he was approached in the Bucs' training room by Bowles and Inside Linebackers Coach Mike Caldwell that he had secured his spot on the team. That certainly made McGaughey happy, as well.
"'Bully' did a great job," said McGaughey. "He had production. We talk about these guys, and it is like, 'look, everybody is going to get opportunities. It is what you do with your opportunity.' 'Bully' did a great job of making plays and preparing and [in] practice and the meetings. Everything that he did daily set him up for him to make this football team."
As much as the Bucs want to limit long returns, they would also like to see their return units make some big plays. Tampa Bay is the only team in the NFL that hasn't had a punt or kickoff return for a touchdown since 2010. In the preseason, Kam Johnson, Tez Johnson and Williams all had returns of 37 yards or longer.
"[An] explosive playmaker, that is all we are looking for -- somebody who can make good decisions and make explosive plays," said McGaughey. "[Our] guys have done a really good job of just putting themselves in the position to make plays. We will see what happens, it is a very fluid situation right now, but we have a lot of good candidates."
CLICK HERE to hear more of McGaughey's thoughts about the Bucs' special teams.
