Bryan McClendon

Buccaneers Announce Finalized 2025 Coaching Staff

February 22nd, 2025 at 5:11pm CST by Ely Allen

With former offensive coordinator Liam Coen departing for his first head coaching role in Jacksonville, there was bound to be some changes along the Buccaneers coaching staff. Todd Bowles and company announced all their planned changes for the staff yesterday, and we’ll break them down here.

We already knew that, with Coen out, Josh Grizzard was promoted to offensive coordinator. Hiring an internal candidate into the role allowed Tampa Bay to retain several assistants, as well. After being interviewed for the offensive coordinator job in Houston that went to Nick Caley, quarterbacks coach Thad Lewis was retained to his position, as were running backs coach Skip Peete, wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon, tight ends coach Justin Peelle, and offensive consultant Tom Moore. We’ve also already reported on the hiring of Kefense Hynson to fill Grizzard’s role as pass game coordinator and the promotion of Brian Picucci from assistant offensive line coach to offensive line coach.

The unreported changes to the staff see Jordan Somerville, who has served as assistant quarterbacks coach for the team, add the role of pass game specialist to his existing responsibilities. Additionally, former offensive quality control coach Jeff Kastl has been promoted to assistant tight ends coach. Lastly on offense, we had reported initially that former offensive line coach Kevin Carberry had added the assistant head coach title to his duties, but the team’s announcement grants him the additional title of run game coordinator instead.

On defense, where Bowles acts as a sort of de facto coordinator, only a few changes were necessary. Cornerbacks coach Kevin Ross, safeties coach Nick Rapone, assistant secondary coach Tim Atkins, and defensive quality control coach Joey Fitzgerald all return to their same roles for 2025, and we’ve already reported on the addition of Charlie Strong as defensive line coach, replacing Kacy Rodgers who departed for the same role in Detroit. We also reported that former pass game coordinator/inside linebackers coach Larry Foote would be retained after interviewing for the Lions defensive coordinator job that went to internal candidate Kelvin Sheppard in Detroit, but today’s announcement tells us that both titles have changed for Foote as he will now serve as run game coordinator/outside linebackers coach.

With Foote taking outside linebacker duties, former outside linebackers coach George Edwards will now serve as pass game coordinator after being mentioned as a defensive coordinator candidate in New Orleans. Taking Foote’s inside linebackers coaching role will be Mike Caldwell, who was hired for the job after not being retained by the Raiders this offseason. Lastly on defense, Rashad Johnson, the former NFL safety who served as defensive assistant last year, has been promoted to serve alongside Atkins as assistant secondary coach.

No changes were required on special teams, where Thomas McGaughey and Keith Tandy return as special teams coordinator and defensive/special teams assistant, respectively.

That will be the 2025 coaching staff for the Buccaneers. Bowles and Grizzard did a good job retaining a decent number of staffers, utilizing a few promotions where necessary, and filled out the holes effectively. They’ll hope to bring back similar success to take them to the postseason for the sixth season in a row.

NFC Notes: Buccaneers, Packers, Magee

February 18th, 2024 at 9:59pm CST by Ely Allen

The Buccaneers dipped into the realm of college football to hire University of Kentucky offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Liam Coen. The team didn’t stop there, reaching out twice more to help fill out the rest of their offensive coaching staff recently.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter was the first to report that Coen and company were dipping back to Lexington in order to poach offensive quality control coach Brian Picucci. The hunt was apparently successful as Josh Alper of NBC Sports followed up to confirm that Picucci would be heading to Tampa Bay as the team’s new assistant offensive line coach.

The Buccaneers also went to the college ranks in order to fill their position for wide receivers coach. According to Schefter, University of Georgia wide receivers coach and pass game coordinator Bryan McClendon has been hired as Tampa Bay’s new wide receivers coach. McClendon has been a long-time college staffer and is well-regarded in coaching circles.

As running backs coach for the Bulldogs from 2009-14, McClendon coached Todd Gurley and Nick Chubb. As wide receivers coach at South Carolina from 2016-19, McClendon mentored Deebo Samuel, Bryan Edwards, and Shi Smith. He also had two years of offensive coordinator experience with the Gamecocks, as well. McClendon will inherit a wide receiving corps featuring Chris Godwin, Russell Gage, and Trey Palmer, and he will likely hope the team can come to terms with long-time star, and pending free agent, Mike Evans.

Here are a few other staff updates from around the NFC:

In the Packers‘ front office, it has been made known that team president and chief executive officer Mark Murphy is going to retire in July 2025. The organization has reportedly formed a search committee in order to find Murphy’s replacement. Packers executive committee vice president and lead director Susan Finco will chair the committee and executive committee secretary and chair of the personnel and compensation committee Dan Ariens will serve as vice chairperson. The search committee is comprised of several individuals throughout the organization’s structure and will utilize the national search firm Korn Ferry to conduct the search. The expectation is that the process will take around six to nine months.
Lastly, the Bears will also be losing a member of their front office, though this one is in effect immediately. According to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports, Chicago’s chief of staff Sean Magee will be departing for a job in the collegiate ranks. Magee is expected to be hired as senior associate athletic director and general manager for football at the University of Michigan.

Steelers Interview Jerricho Cotchery For WRs Coach Position

February 10th, 2020 at 9:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Steelers went without a full-time wide receivers coach last season, it coming on the heels of Darryl Drake‘s tragic death. The franchise is now looking at candidates to take over, and one is a familiar name to the franchise.

Jerricho Cotchery interviewed for the post on Friday, according to Gerry Dulac and Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Cotchery is battling at least one other candidate for the job. South Carolina assistant Bryan McClendon spent Monday in Pittsburgh interviewing for the post, according to Dulac and Fittipaldo.

This would be return for Cotchery, who played for the Steelers from 2011-13. He caught a career-high 10 touchdown passes in his final Steelers season. Also playing with the Jets and Panthers in a 12-year career, the 37-year-old NFL retiree jumped right into coaching. Not long after Super Bowl 50 — his final NFL appearance — Cotchery caught on with the Panthers as their assistant wide receivers coach. He spent three years in that role, helping the likes of D.J. Moore and Curtis Samuel.

The Steelers used Ray Sherman as Drake’s successor on an interim basis last season. McClendon, 36, spent the past five years with the Gamecocks, working as their offensive coordinator in 2018 before being demoted back to wideouts coach last year. McClendon coached South Carolina’s receivers in four of the past five seasons.