The Buccaneers have lost a handful of offensive assistants to the Panthers over the past week, seeing Dave Canales take multiple Bruce Arians hires to Charlotte. With Tampa Bay interested in re-signing Baker Mayfield, two assistants who coached him recently are on the radar.
Two-year Rams assistant Jake Peetz‘s interview is set for Thursday, and the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud indicates the Bucs are also planning to meet with Kentucky offensive coordinator Liam Coen about their OC position. The Coen meeting will occur today as well.
Coen, whom Stroud notes has a good working relationship with Mayfield, met with the Bears about their OC post last month. Coen joins Peetz and ex-Browns OC Alex Van Pelt as coaches with Mayfield ties in the running for this position. Although the Bucs have not initiated talks about a second contract, those are expected.
Coen and Mayfield did not overlap for long in Los Angeles. Mayfield spent barely a month with the team, and Coen departed immediately after the season to return to Kentucky. He has spent two of the past three seasons as the SEC program’s OC, hopping back and forth between L.A. and Lexington. Prior to Coen’s 2021 trek to call the Wildcats’ plays, he worked as a three-year position coach under Sean McVay.
Working as a McVay staffer has fast-tracked a handful of assistants’ careers over the past several years. This offseason, the Rams have lost defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, quarterbacks coach Zac Robinson and defensive line coach Eric Henderson. The latter returned to the college ranks. Coen made that move last year, agreeing to return to Kentucky before the Rams’ season concluded. His sticking around through last season’s conclusion is relevant in the Bucs’ case, with Mayfield serving as the team’s starting QB to close out the campaign.
Coen, 38, served as McVay’s non-play-calling OC during by far the worst season for this unit during the successful HC’s regime. Losing Matthew Stafford midway through the season, the Rams went 5-12, ranked last in total offense and 27th in points. Coen did help Mayfield produce impressive showings against the Raiders and Broncos last season, being a key part of an effort to prepare Mayfield as he took the lion’s share of the snaps against Las Vegas two days after being claimed off waivers. That game featured a memorable 98-yard game-winning drive, an effort that helped land Mayfield the Bucs’ starting job in 2023.
Coen’s play-calling chops were on display at Kentucky in 2023. Despite losing second-round pick Will Levis, the Wildcats improved from 112th to 58th in scoring offense from 2022 to ’23. Here is how the Bucs’ OC search looks as of Thursday morning:
- Liam Coen, offensive coordinator (Kentucky): To interview 2/1
- Ken Dorsey, former offensive coordinator (Bills): To interview; hired as Browns OC
- Tanner Engstrand, pass-game coordinator (Lions): To interview
- Brian Johnson, former offensive coordinator (Eagles): Interviewed 1/30
- Jerrod Johnson, quarterbacks coach (Texans): Interviewed 1/30; to stay with Texans
- Thad Lewis, quarterbacks coach (Buccaneers): Interviewed 1/31
- Kellen Moore, offensive coordinator (Chargers): To interview 1/29; hired as Eagles OC
- Jake Peetz, pass-game specialist (Rams): To interview 2/1
- Antwaan Randle El, wide receivers coach (Lions): Interviewed 1/26
- Zac Robinson, quarterbacks coach (Rams): Interview requested; hired as Falcons OC
- John Van Dam, tight ends coach (Buccaneers): To interview
- Alex Van Pelt, former offensive coordinator (Browns): Interviewed 1/29