TAMPA — The day after the Bucs fired coach Lovie Smith, they confirmed that much of his defensive staff won't be back in 2016.
Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier was informed his option for 2016 will not be picked up, along with cornerbacks coach Gill Byrd and safeties coach Mikal Smith, who is Lovie's son. Nickel defensive backs coach Larry Marmie, who coached Lovie Smith as a college player at Tulsa in the late 1970s, will have his contract expire.
Two defensive assistants could be back with the Bucs — defensive line coach Joe Cullen, who worked with potential hire Dirk Koetter with the Jaguars, and linebackers coach Hardy Nickerson — will be retained so that the new head coach can decide if he wants to keep them on his 2016 coaching staff.