What Liam Coen Returning Means for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Similar to their roller coaster path to make the postseason this year, the Buccaneers' offseason — which commenced less than two weeks ago — has already been an up-and-down affair for those invested in the team.
The biggest question circulating in the Tampa Bay atmosphere, of course, has been whether or not offensive coordinator Liam Coen will return to the Bucs for next season.
READ MORE: Liam Coen Spurns Jaguars, Stays With Buccaneers After New Contract
After a standout debut season calling plays for the Buccaneers, it was no surprise to see that other teams were considering Coen for their vacant head coaching positions. Once Jason Licht made it clear that Todd Bowles would be returning as the Bucs head coach, the idea of Coen jumping ship — like his predecessor Dave Canales did just one year ago — became all the more likely.
However, when news broke on Wednesday that Coen had taken himself out of consideration for the Jacksonville Jaguars HC gig in order to return to his role with Tampa Bay, a collective sigh of relief was palpable.
So the question now becomes, what does Coen's return mean for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
Well the biggest implication of Coen's return is obvious. The Buccaneers should have one of the NFL's most prolific offenses in the league again next season. Despite ranking near the bottom of the league in several key areas last season, the Bucs took a massive step forward under Coen.
One-year improvement in Bucs' offensive rankings with Liam Coen as OC in 2024. Top five in all six:
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) January 22, 2025
Total offense: 23rd to 3rd
Scoring offense: 20th to 4th
Rushing offense: 32nd to 4th
Passing offense: 17th to 3rd
Third-down offense: 10th to 1st
Red-zone offense: 30th to 4th
Not only did the Bucs skyrocket from 17th in passing to 3rd overall this season, but their run game was completely transformed under Coen's tutelage. The fact the Buccaneers were top 5 in the entire league in both passing and rushing offense in 2024 speaks to the diversity of Coen's scheme and his ability to have all his players on the same page.
The offensive output by Coen's Buccaneers is even more impressive when you consider they did it with some of their best players out of the lineup, including Chris Godwin who missed 11 games, and Mike Evans who missed three.
As we look ahead to the future, the continuity of the roster combined with the continued ascension of young players like Bucky Irving, Jalen McMillan, Graham Barton and Cody Mauch would lead reasonable minds to believe there is no reason why the Buccaneers' offense shouldn't be even better in 2025 with Liam Coen leading the way.
READ MORE: What Does The Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2025 Draft Look Like According to ESPN?
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