After Coen: Who’s Next At Offensive Playcaller?
What a plot twist!
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers find themselves in need of a new offensive coordinator after Liam Coen made a shall-we-say dramatic exit to become the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Coen, of course, had been one of the top candidates for a few jobs, having led Baker Mayfield and the gang to perhaps one of the most productive offensive Bucs seasons ever. Baker set career records in yards and touchdowns, rookies Bucky Irving and Jalen McMillan had historic rookie years, Mike Evans did the same things he does every year despite missing multiple games. Chris Godwin led the league in receiving before his major injury. Even Cade Otton got major involvement which seemed outside the realm of possibility.
Coen had seemingly committed to staying in Tampa before a whirlwind of behind-the-scenes negotiations, secrecy, and a surprise second interview with Jaguars ownership flipped the script.
The messy situation leaves Tampa with their fourth offensive coordinator in as many seasons, sparking questions about who will take over the reins of an offense brimming with talent but searching for stability.
The new question remains: who takes over the offense? I broke down five candidates I think are most likely:
Frank Smith
Currently: Offensive Coordinator, Miami Dolphins
Previous stops: LA Chargers (Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach), Oakland/LV Raiders (Tight Ends Coach), New Orleans Saints (Assistant offensive line coach)
Smith has an impressive resume. He’s worked as Mike McDaniels offensive coordinator in Miami, tight ends coach under John Gruden, and an assistant offensive line coach with Sean Payton. The Dolphins have had one of the top offenses when healthy in his tenure, he coached Darren Waller through the best years of his short career, and his time with the Saints netted four pro bowl linemen, two of whom would earn all-pro honors.
Pros: Smith has a wide variety of experiences, coaching run games, tight ends, and offensive lines, and in a variety of systems as well. He’s been a bit of a coveted candidate at the NFL level for a few years. He has experience on the Shanahan coaching tree, which generally means a better run game, as well as Sean Payton, renowned quarterback whisperer. And Jon Gruden is a football sicko.
Cons: Again, no play calling experience, but his long tenure in the NFL lends him more credibility than his lack of play calling can take away.
Fit grade: B
Thad Lewis
Currently: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Quarterbacks Coach)
Previous stops: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Assistant Wide Receivers Coach, Intern), UCLA (Offensive analyst)
Thad Lewis is one of the favorites to get the job here in Tampa, as he’s been here since the Arians administration in a variety of roles, and he’s been one of a few constants on the offensive side of the ball.
Pros: Lewis is well-liked within the building by players and staff alike, and he’s had multiple interviews elsewhere as well, though he obviously hasn’t left yet. Having worked with Arians, Leftwich, Canales, and Coen, he’s got a variety of schemes under his belt. He’s got a breadth of experience as a QB in the NFL, and he’s worked with Brady, Trask, Gabbert, and Mayfield as well as the laundry list of receivers who have come through the building in the last four years. Keeping him in the building may be a smoother transition and could help keep the other staff on the payroll.
Cons: Lewis suffers from limited experience. This season was his first as a true position coach at any level, and has not called plays at the NFL or NCAA level. While it shouldn’t rule him out, it may give the organization pause.
Fit grade: B-
Josh Grizzard
Currently: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Passing Game Coordinator)
Previous stops: Miami Dolphins (Offensive Quality Control/Quality Control/Wide receivers Coach)
The 34-year old has been lauded as a genius by big time NFL names, and he’s got the resume to back it up. Not only was he a two sport athlete in Basketball and Football, he also played two ways in high school as a Quarterback and Safety. Carrying a GPA of 4.75, Grizzard went on to play football at Yale, where he would eventually move into a student assistant position before his senior year. He would spend his grad school years at Duke as an assistant coach and later quality control, before moving to the Dolphins in 2017 and worked in multiple positions through the Gase, Flores, and McDaniel regimes. He was hired this past season as the passing game coordinator by Liam Coen and is seen as the more likely of the two in-house line-of-succession between himself and Lewis.
Pros: Grizzard has a much more impressive resume compared to most other candidates, just based on the amount of time it’s taken him to get where he is. He helped oversee one of the most successful four year stretches in Dolphins history, and the Bucs passing attack this season is the most statistically impressive non-Brady season in the history of the team. While he also lacks play calling experience just as the other three highlighted candidates, remember that none of the last three coordinators for the Bucs had much if any experience in the NFL before they came to Tampa.
Cons: Again, the lack of play calling experience stays prevalent, and one could question his age and experience, or his ability to plan a run game, but he also has attachments to the Shanahan tree and Mike McDaniel, which is a sign of solid run scheme tradition.
Fit grade: B+
Mike Lafleur
Currently: LA Rams (Offensive Coordinator)
Previous stops: New York Jets (Offensive Coordinator), San Francisco (Passing Game Coordinator/Wide Receivers Coach), Atlanta Falcons (Offensive Assistant), Cleveland Browns (Offensive Intern)
The longtime Kyle Shanahan acolyte made the leap to offensive coordinator in 2021 with the New York Jets, and suffice it to say things did not go well. He joined Sean McVay and took over for Liam Coen last season as the offensive coordinator for what has been a prolific offense. As a matter of fact every stop he has made except for New York and Cleveland (QBs Zach Wilson and Johnny Manziel may be to blame) have been abundantly successful.
Pros: His years with Atlanta were perhaps the two best statistical years of Matt Ryan and Julio Jones’ careers. His time in San Francisco resulted in a Super Bowl appearance and made Jimmy Garoppolo look elite. While he hasn’t been calling plays in LA, WR Puka Nakua set the rookie receiving yard record, and they were a boneheaded pass protection mistake from being in an NFC Championship this season. RB Kyren Williams has blossomed into a TD machine and WR Cooper Kupp has been a model of consistency despite his last two injury-addled seasons. Mike will surely join the head coaching ranks with his brother Matt soon, and it ought to be Tampa Bay this season.
Cons: His time in charge of the New York Jets offense is mildly alarming, but the QB play was never even truly mediocre. In 2021 the leading rusher was Michael Carter and the leading receiver was Elijah Moore. Four QBs took significant snaps that year. In 2022, Garrett Wilson won the Rookie of the Year despite catching passes from four QBs, and Breece Hall had an outstanding start to the year before going down with a knee injury. All in all, I’d say he’s lucky to have gotten off the sinking ship before QB Aaron Rodgers could get him fired.
Fit grade: A+
Nathan Scheelhaase
Currently: LA Rams (Offensive Assistant and Passing Game Specialist)
Previous stops: Iowa State Cyclones (Running Backs Coach, Wide Receivers Coach, Run Game Coordinator, Offensive Coordinator/QB Coach)
Scheelhaase is the first requested interview for the Tampa Bay Bucs in their OC search. Much like other candidates he has strong ties to Sean McVay, who seems to be a king-maker in terms of Offensive Coordinators.
Pros: Scheelhaase has worked in a variety of roles in both NCAA and NFL staffs. He helped develop RB Breece Hall and QB Brock Purdy at Iowa State as well as David Montgomery and Allen Lazard.
Cons: Scheelhaase, much like just about everyone on this list, has yet to call plays at the NFL level, and he only has 1 year of experience in the NFL.
Fit grade: C
Other options:
The Bucs previously interviewed (just last January) Jake Peetz, Alex Van Pelt, Zac Robinson, Ken Dorsey, Brian Johnson, Kellen Moore, and Antwan Randel El.
Other, less likely names I’ve seen posited include Chip Kelly, Josh McCown, Klint Kubiak, and Joe Brady, though I don’t see any of those as truly likely.
Perhaps Tampa Tom sells his stake in the Raiders and joins Bowles’ staff. Either way, expect a quick decision to be made, because the coaching carousel moves at lightning speed.
