The Bills have announced another move on their coaching staff. Matthew Smiley has been promoted to special teams coordinator.
Smiley spent the last five seasons as Buffalo's assistant special teams coach and joined the staff for Sean McDermott's first season as head coach in 2017.
The new special teams coordinator has helped the Bills special teams unit reach success in many different ways. In 2021, kicker Tyler Bass produced 135 points – becoming the first Bills player with consecutive 100-point seasons since Dan Carpenter in 2013-2015. In 2020, Bass set a team record with 141 points. Also in 2020, Bills kick and punt returner Andre Roberts ranked amongst one of the best in kickoff return yards (961, 2nd) and punt return yard (286, 5th). Smiley helped Roberts earn Pro Bowl honors and second-team All-Pro honors in 2019 and 2020. In 2017, he helped lead a special teams unit that ranked seventh in the NFL according to Rick Gosselin.
Before coming to Buffalo, Smiley spent a few seasons (2013-2016) with the Jacksonville Jaguars as the assistant special teams coach.
Smiley has nine years of coaching experience in the NFL and eight years of experience in college football.
He graduated from the University of Illinois where he played wide receiver and was a member of the Air Force ROTC program. After graduating, Smiley served as a United States Air Force maintenance officer in Grand Forks, ND. He was deployed multiple times for Operation Enduring Freedom and received the USAF Commendation Medal.
Former special teams coordinator Heath Farwell is taking the same position with the Jacksonville Jaguars according to NFL media reports.
