By
- Ryan Talbot | [email protected]
The Buffalo Bills are in the market for a new special teams coordinator.
On Super Bowl Sunday, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that the Bills had parted ways with Matthew Smiley. Smiley served in the role for three seasons. Before taking over as the special teams coordinator in Buffalo, Smiley was the assistant special teams coordinator for the Bills from 2017-2021.
Despite the unit’s struggles under Smiley, Sean McDermott gave the special teams coordinator a vote of confidence at his end-of-the-season presser.
“I’m confident that Coach Smiley is going to learn from those situations and plays that came up this year,” McDermott told the media when asked about Smiley.
McDermott would later say he was confident in Smiley returning for a fourth season.
Buffalo’s special teams units struggled under Smiley. The team ranked 28th this season in special teams DVOA making them a bottom-five unit.
Rick Gosselin, a veteran NFL writer, ranked special teams units at the end of every season. In Smiley’s first year as special teams coordinator, Buffalo finished at No. 5. His units plummeted the past two seasons, however. Smiley ranked at No. 28 in Gosselin’s special teams rankings in 2023. Bill Huber took over the special teams rankings this season following Gosselin’s retirement. In 2024, Buffalo finished at No. 27. Once a strength of the Bills under McDermott, Buffalo’s special teams unit had fallen significantly under Smiley’s watch.
Before joining the Bills coaching staff, Smiley served as the assistant special teams coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars (2013-2016).
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