Tampa Bay Buccaneers Interviewing Multiple Offensive Coordinator Candidates
Life comes at you fast.
And for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, that saying couldn't ring more true.
Despite widespread expectations that they would flounder in 2023 after replacing Tom Brady with Baker Mayfield, the team went on to shatter those expectations. Not only winning the NFC South but making it all the way to the NFL Divisional Round Playoffs, where the Buccaneers put up a good fight before eventually losing to the Detroit Lions.
Credit for the team's success this season deserves to be distributed to a wide variety of contributors. That said, first-year offensive coordinator, Dave Canales, deserves to be at (or near) the top of the list.
However, the Buccaneers' fanbase didn't have much time to get all warm and fuzzy about how far their talented, young offensive coordinator could take them next season. Within a matter of days of the season coming to an end, the Carolina Panthers announced that they had hired Canales to be their next head coach.
It's a good hire. No question. But for the Buccaneers, it immediately turned what was becoming a clear strength into a cold, dark, and empty space within the structure of the franchise.
Instead of fantasizing about what Dave Canales and Baker Mayfield could accomplish in year two, the organization now needs to scramble to find a replacement. This becomes all the more challenging when so many teams that missed the playoffs have already interviewed, and in many cases hired, the top coaching candidates available.
That said, there's still plenty of coaching talent to be found around the league, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are moving quickly to find their next offensive play-caller.
On Friday, it was reported that the team had already set up interviews with several experienced candidates.
The first of which is Kellen Moore. Despite failing to meet expectations in his first year running the offense for the Los Angeles Chargers, he has a proven track record of being a productive and innovative offensive play-caller. Moore was very successful in the four years he operated as the offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys.
However, Moore is a sought-after candidate, which is why he has multiple other interviews lined up, including the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles.
The other candidate who has reportedly earned himself an interview with the Buccaneers is former Eagles' OC, Brian Johnson.
Like Moore, Johnson is also a candidate for the Cleveland Browns' vacancy. According to Jonathan Jones, Tampa Bay had an interest in Johnson during last year's hiring cycle as well.
Based on how the Philadelphia Eagles' offense performed during the tail end of the regular season, I think it's safe to say that fans would be a bit hesitant to embrace the hiring of Johnson.
According to Adam Schefter, Tampa Bay has also set up an interview with Ken Dorsey who was in Buffalo until he was let go part way through the season.
Another intriguing name to keep an eye on his Zac Robinson. The 37-year old has been working under Sean McVay since 2019, where he has served as the assistance quarterbacks coach, the wide receivers coach, and most recently, the quarterbacks coach and pass game coordinator.
Robinson has been busy already this offseason, as he's received plenty of interest from other teams, including: New Orleans, Pittsburgh, New England, and Las Vegas.
Although the Bucs have put in an official request to interview Robinson, we have yet to learn whether or not it has been granted. Robinson has familiarity with a similar system to Dave Canales, as he worked with Shane Waldron, who then went on to Seattle where he worked directly with Canales.
Just as important is the fact that Robinson has familiarity and experience working with Baker Mayfield. Two worked hand-in-hand last season when Baker spent the latter half of the season with the Rams.
Chances are, the Buccaneers' offensive coaching search won't end after interviewing just these candidates. Last year, an exhaustive search was conducted before Bowles, Jason Licht, and ownership all settled on Canales. There are more than likely going to be even more candidates brought in to interview for the role.
The Bucs could also hire internally. Two other names to keep an eye on are receivers coach Brad Idzik and quarterbacks coach Thad Lewis, both of whom are set to interview with other teams.
But no matter what route they take, one thing is clear. The clock is ticking.
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