The Bucs special teams units have been historically average or worse during the Bruce Arians/Todd Bowles era. Using Pro Football Focus' unit grades, Tampa Bay has ranked no higher than 21st in the NFL and has finished 28th or worse in all but one of the last six seasons.
That's bad. Like, historically bad.
The team found consistency at kicker from 2019-2021 with Ryan Succop. Inside of 50 yards he was near automatic. But Succop was limited from distance in a world that would soon feature guys who could hit from inside 70 yards.
Improved Kicking Game
Knowing that they needed a bigger leg without sacrificing the consistency Ryan Succop provided, the Bucs moved on to Chase McLaughlin in 2023. McLaughlin won a summer kicking competition and went on to have a phenomenal season. He hit on 29-of-31 attempts – a 93.5% conversion rate – including seven of eight from 50 yards or more. The Bucs rewarded McLaughlin with a three-year, $12.3 million contract.
Bucs K Chase McLaughlin – Photo by: USA Today
In his second year in Tampa Bay, McLaughlin earned his new deal, improving on his stellar 2023 conversion rate by hitting 30-of-32 attempts, with his two lone misses coming from beyond 50. "Money" McLaughlin has kept it up during this year's preseason action, connecting on all nine of his kicks – five field goals and four extra point attempts.
The Bucs are confident they have figured out one facet of their special teams puzzle. But that still leaves several others.
The Punting Paradigm
General manager Jason Licht knows the value of a good special teams unit. And he's not afraid to invest assets into addressing the group. No team has invested as much money, as measured by APY as a percent of cap, since he gave Bryan Anger a four-year, $17 million deal in 2016. Licht also famously used a second-round pick on kicker Roberto Aguayo that year.
After Bradley Pinion struggled to finish 2021 due to injury, the Bucs made him a cap casualty and selected Georgia punter Jake Camarda in the fourth round of the 2022 draft. Camarda had flashes of brilliance but was plagued by inconsistency and the team moved on from him early last year. But the alternatives they brought in – Jack Browning and Trenton Gill – were arguably worse.
Final punter rankings of the year (minimum 10 punts)! pic.twitter.com/j8vYRLEvrf
— Puntalytics (@ThePuntRunts) January 6, 2025
This offseason Licht decided to address the position once and for all in a very Succop-y way. He signed veteran Riley Dixon to a two-year, $6 million contract. Dixon isn't the best punter in the league. He's rather league average to be honest. But he is consistently league average.
And to the Bucs, there is value in that consistency. He netted 42.0 yards per punt in 2022. In 2023 that number was 42.3. And last year it was 42.2.
Bucs Punter Riley Dixon -Photo by: Cliff Welch P/R
Of the 2025 punters who have played over the last three seasons, Dixon ranks 15th in yards per attempt, 14th in net yards per attempt, 11th in fair catch rate, 15th in return rate and 18th in touchback rate.
Dixon is reliable. And that is something the Bucs covet right now.
That reliability has shown in the preseason. He's 15th in yards per attempt, 20th in net yards per attempt. Dixon and his coverage team have held opposing returners to just 5.4 yards per return. It's early, but Dixon may be the reliable field-flipper the Bucs have been searching for almost a half a decade for.
Reversing Return Woes
Utilizing Deven Thompkins and Rachaad White, the Bucs averaged 21.3 yards per kick return in 2022, placing them 22nd in the NFL. Thompkins had a 54-yarder that season but was largely ineffective outside of that one return. White only cracked 30 yards one time. Thompkins was the primary returner the year after and averaged 20.4 yards per return, placing the Bucs 27th overall.
The NFL changed the kickoff operation in 2024 in an effort to improve the rate at which kickoffs are returned. It helped in that regard and improved kick return averages across the board. Last year, the Bucs used a whole host of players to return kicks. Sean Tucker, Bucky Irving and Rakim Jarrett handled most of the duties while leading the team to a 25th place ranking at 26.3 yards per return. While their return average increased by six yards, Tampa Bay lost ground relative to the league.
Bucs ST Coordinator Thomas McGaughey – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
Punt returns have been a slightly better story for the Bucs. In 2022, Thompkins averaged 10.2 yards per return. Tampa Bay was ninth-best in that metric that year. But he and the team fell to 15th in 2023 at 9.4 yards per return. Last year Trey Palmer handled the bulk of the duties, and the Bucs fell to 27th overall at 7.4 yards per return.
But this preseason has given new special teams coach Thomas McGaughey something to smile about. Rookie running back Josh Williams and second-year receiver Kam Johnson have each brought speed and vision to the position, leading to multiple big returns.
JWill making a strong case to make the team on ST value alone. pic.twitter.com/BAMNw3mBCN
— Joshua Queipo (@josh_queipo) August 24, 2025
— Joshua Queipo (@josh_queipo) August 24, 2025
Disappointing night for Kam Johnson as a receiver, but he showed his electricity as a returner. pic.twitter.com/IDAk5kAmBs
— Joshua Queipo (@josh_queipo) August 24, 2025
It's an extremely limited sample size, but both players rank in the top 15 of kick returners this preseason. And Johnson, along with rookie receivers Tez Johnson and Garret Greene, have all shown promise as punt returners. Each player has averaged over 10 yards per return.
Bucs WR-PR Tez Johnson – Photo by: USA Today
McGaughey has plenty of talent at his disposal this year. And the Bucs have invested in athletic young players who can play a role as gunners on coverage units. In addition, the team is high on interior coverage players like rookies John Bullock and Elijah Roberts to maintain inside coverage lanes. This all adds up to potential to finally move into the top half of the league in the third phase of the game.
It's the margins where the upper echelon teams that make it to championship games separate themselves from other playoff teams. Special teams is one of those margins. And the Bucs may have just expanded their margins.
Josh Queipo joined the Pewter Report team in 2022, specializing in salary cap analysis and film study. In addition to his official role with the website and podcast, he has an unofficial role as the Pewter Report team’s beaming light of positivity and jokes. A staunch proponent of the forward pass, he is a father to two amazing children and loves sushi, brisket, steak and bacon, though the order changes depending on the day. He graduated from the University of South Florida in 2008 with a degree in finance.
