Buccaneers bring back Super Bowl-winning assistant, reshuffle defensive staff

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going back to some championship roots.

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell against the Los Angeles Chargers. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be looking to re-tool their defense this offseason in an effort to be contenders in the NFL. That includes players, of course, who they'll find in free agency and the NFL Draft — but it also includes some additions and some re-organizing to the team's defensive coaching staff.

The Bucs annoucned an assortment of moves on Friday, with the first being a acquisition of a former defensive assistant. Tampa Bay announced that Mike Caldwell was returning to the program after serving as an inside linebackers coach from 2019-21 — Caldwell has served as the Jacksonville Jaguars' defensive coordinator since then and was most recently the inside linebackers coach and run game coordinator in Las Vegas with the Raiders last year.

Mike Caldwell talks to players during stretching at Wednesday's training camp session. | Bob Self/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

Buccaneers have announced some coaching changes — they brought back Mike Caldwell, who served as the team's inside linebackers coach from 2019-21, and moved Larry Foote to outside linebackers. George Edwards, who was with the OLBs, is now a passing game coordinator on the defense

— River Wells (@riverhwells) February 21, 2025

With Caldwell back in the building, Tampa Bay has done some more shuffling with its coaching staff. Larry Foote was previously the team's inside linebackers coach, but he's now been moved to outside linebackers. He takes the spot that George Edwards has recently had since 2023, and Edwards is now being moved to pass game coordinator on the defense under Todd Bowles.

The moves come at a time when Tampa Bay's pass rush has been ineffective, and they also bring the Buccaneers back to some championship-winning roots. Caldwell was inside linebackers coach and Foote was outside linebackers coach when the Buccaneers won Super Bowl LIV in 2020, so perhaps the Buccaneers are trying to get some of that magic back for the 2025 season.

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