Former Buccaneers assistant coach hired by AFC Franchise

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a plethora of coaching changes in January following an early exit in the 2023 playoffs. The franchise chose to move on from six assistant coaches with three other members of the staff electing to retire. Among the moves made by the Buccaneers was firing assistant defensive line coach Lori Locust, the first female position coach in the NFL and third female full-time assistant coach in league history.

It didn't take long for Locust to find a new landing spot after four years with the Buccaneers. On Saturday, she announced that she was taking a position as a defensive assistant with the Tennessee Titans. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Locust impressed head coach Mike Vrabel and new General Manager Ran Carthon during the interview process. Locust's Twitter bio lists her position as Defensive Quality Control Coach with the Titans.

Former #Bucs assistant DL coach Lori Locust has landed in a new spot. Sources say she’s heading to the #Titans, signing a deal to be a defensive assistant in Tennessee. Coach Lo impressed coach Mike Vrabel, as well as new GM Ran Carthon, in the interview process.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 4, 2023

Locust is the first female full-time assistant coach in Titans' history. She was originally hired by the Buccaneers in 2019 by former head coach Bruce Arians. Locust was on staff for Tampa Bay's Super Bowl run in 2020, becoming one of the first two female assistant coaches to be a part of a championship team in NFL History.

She began her coaching career as an assistant with the Keystone Assault of the United States Women Football League from 2008-12. After various other stops, Locust broke into the professional ranks when she took a defensive line coaching intern position with the Baltimore Ravens in 2018. She spent a season in the AAF with the Birmingham Iron as an assistant defensive line coach before joining Tampa Bay in the same role.

Second-year head coach Todd Bowles is clearly trying to make his imprint on the franchise by parting ways with members of the staff that Arians brought in and replacing them with people who fit his ideology. Defensive Line Coach and Run Game Coordinator, Kacy Rodgers, remains on staff at this time. He's also been with the franchise since 2019.

Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2023 offseason.

Follow BucsGameday on Twitter and Facebook

Add us as a preferred source on Google