Four Potential Replacements For The Buccaneers OC Position

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Last night it was reported that Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen would be taking the Jacksonville Jaguars head coaching job. At this point, the how and the why of this turn of events don’t really matter. All that matters for the Buccaneers now is what comes next.

For the fourth time in four years under head coach Todd Bowles the team will be looking for a new offensive coordinator. It’s a process that the Bucs have gotten pretty good at having upgraded at this position each time they made a hire. However, after all the good that Coen did last year replacing him will be a tall task.

With that said, the show goes on and Coen will be replaced. It’s only a question of who will fill those shoes. While there are a lot of options both internally and around the league, here are four potential replacements for the Buccaneers offensive coordinator. 

Thomas Brown – Most Recently Bears Passing Game Coordinator And Interim Head Coach

There is a lot to like about Brown despite limited success and an offensive coordinator. In many ways, it is a lot of the same things the Buccaneers liked about Coen. A young offensive mind who comes from the same system and has some play calling experience.

Brown comes from the Sean McVay tree just like Coen did, so there would be some continuity in the system the Bucs run. In fact, he was the assistant head coach under McVay for two of the three seasons he coached for the Los Angeles Rams, including the year they won the Super Bowl. That only speaks to how highly Brown was respected. 

In his one year as Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator in 2023, things didn’t go well. Brown took over play calling after week six from head coach Frank Reich, but with a rookie quarterback and almost no infrastructure around him the offense struggled all year.

Most recently, in his only year with the Chicago Bears Brown started as passing game coordinator and was later promoted to offensive coordinator for two weeks before being named the interim head coach. Despite turmoil, Brown helped guide rookie Caleb Williams to over 3,500 passing yards with 20 touchdown passes and just 6 interceptions.

The Bucs would be by far the best situation that Brown has walked into. With his perceived leadership skills and this amount of talent to work with we could see him blossom in Tampa.

Hank Fraley – Lions Offensive Line Coach

Todd Bowles and Dan Campbell have a mutual respect for each other going back to when they coached together with the Miami Dolphins. This was on display this week when Campbell and the Detroit Lions interviewed Buccaneers co-defensive coordinator Larry Foote for their defensive coordinator job and hired co-defensive coordinator Kasey Rogers for their open defensive line coach job. These are long time Bowles assistants and you know what caliber of coach you are getting there.

Turnabout is fair play with the Bucs perhaps having their eye on a long time Lions assistant. Fraley is one of the best offensive line coaches in the NFL. He has also been linked to the Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks as a potential offensive coordinator, so that indicates that he’s interested in taking that step in his career. The Bucs can offer him a far better situation than either of those two teams.

With an emerging young offensive line and coming off one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL last year, Fraley could emulate some of the success on the ground that the Lions had last year. After all, Farley worked with offensive wiz kid Ben Johnson for his entire tenure in Detroit before he left as the top coordinator in this coaching cycle to become the Bears head coach. There would likely be some crossover in philosophy there for Fraley.

A potential run first style could appeal to a defensive minded head coach like Todd Bowles as well. Protecting the ball and controlling the clock are often calling cards for defensive minded head coaches and this is the type of hire that could embrace that approach. 

Darrell Bevell – Dolphins Quarterback Coach

If the Bucs are looking for a more seasoned option, then Bevell will be an appealing option. He’s had offensive coordinator stints with the Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions and Jacksonville Jaguars. And while some may know him best as the man who didn’t give the ball to Marshawn Lynch at the goalline in the Super Bowl, Bevell has been largely successful over his career.

Bevell has won a Super Bowl as offensive coordinator and was part of the development of Russell Wilson in Seattle. He has also worked with veteran quarterbacks such as Matthew Stafford as well as elevate struggling quarterbacks such as Tua Tagovailoa. Bevell has shown an ability to work with all types of different quarterbacks.

He also has some head coaching experience after serving as interim head coach in both Detroit and Jacksonville. This experience can only be beneficial and would be something that interests Bowles and the Bucs.

Ryan Wendell – Rams Offensive Line Coach

This is a hire that goes back to the well of the McVay coaching tree as well as getting a top tier offensive line coach. This would allow the Bucs to build on the strength in the trenches as well as maintain the current overall system. Both should be very appealing.

Wendell has excelled in terms of developing young offensive talent. He had a direct hand in the development of guys such as Steve Avila, Kevin Dotson and going back to his days with the Buffalo Bills Dion Dawkins. This is the kind of coach who you want working with young offensive linemen like Graham Barton.

The Rams have developed a strong running game over the last few years. It seems logical that Wendell would bring a similar approach if he were to become an offensive coordinator. This would build on what the Bucs have in place and potentially keep the ball rolling with this offense.

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