The Buffalo Bills are facing yet another difficult offseason after a heartbreaking 32-29 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, marking their fourth postseason defeat to the Chiefs during the Josh Allen era.
The changes have already begun, as the Buffalo Bills recently made a move by parting ways with assistant coach Matthew Smiley, signaling the start of what could be a busy offseason.
Tom Pelissero reported on X that despite getting public support from head coach Sean McDermott just a week ago, Smiley has been let go from his role as special teams coordinator.
Smiley had been with the Bills for eight years, joining the team in 2017 as a special teams assistant when McDermott took over as head coach. He spent five years in that position before being promoted to special teams coordinator, a role he held for the past three seasons.
Buffalo’s special teams struggled this year, plagued by several penalties, including issues with personnel and having the wrong number of players on the field. They also allowed the fifth-most yards per kickoff return (30.8) and gave up both a blocked punt returned for a touchdown and a kickoff return for a touchdown.
Kicker Tyler Bass had an off year as well, missing five extra points after only missing five in his first four seasons combined.
While it’s always unfortunate when someone loses their job, there’s no denying that the special teams unit had a lot of room for improvement this season.