The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have fired defensive coordinator Mike Smith, News Channel 8 has confirmed.
In a news release, the team announced Mark Duffner, the team’s linebackers coach, will fill Smith’s position.
Fans have been calling for Smith to be fired following the team’s recent performances. After starting the season with two wins, the Bucs have lost the last three games.
“These decisions are always difficult, but our top priority here is to ensure that we do everything possible to help this team succeed,” said Buccaneers Head Coach Dirk Koetter. “As I have said in the past, the issues we have had as a team are never one person’s fault. During good times, as well as the bad, it is a collective effort between the coaches and the players.”
Smith has been the Bucs defensive coordinator since 2016.
“I have the utmost respect for Mike Smith as a man and as a football coach,” Koetter said. “We all understand that this is a result-based profession and our results to this point have not met our standards. I want to thank Mike for all the hard work and passion he has displayed here on a daily basis and I wish him well moving forward.”
This year marks Duffner’s 22nd season in the NFL. It’s his third season with the Bucs.