The news was reported Wednesday that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be bringing back head coach Todd Bowles for another season. This after much speculation about his potential firing following a late season collapse that caused his team to miss the playoffs. It was a year where the coaching staff had no answers down the stretch.
Despite that, Bowles will be back. However, you can expect several changes to his coaching staff. Most notably at the offensive coordinator position.
Last year, the Bucs made the in house hire of Josh Grizzard. He was an assistant under Liam Coen and the man who was in charge of a very impressive third down offense in 2024. While the team had hoped for continuity with the same offensive system under Grizzard things did not work out this season.
Now it is likely that the Bucs will move on and once again be in the market for a new offensive play caller. The question now becomes, who will run the offense moving forward. Here are my eight potential offensive coordinators for the Buccaneers.
Bill O’Brien:
The current head coach of Boston College, O’Brien has a long history coaching in the NFL. He was the head coach of the Houston Texans for seven years. During that time he won four division titles and left with a winning record.
He was also the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots going back to 2011 when he helped lead the team to the Super Bowl. He returned to an offensive coordinator role in 2021 with the Alabama Crimson Tide for two seasons and then another season as offensive coordinator with the Patriots in 2023.
If you’re looking for experience then O’Brien has lots of it. And while he might not be at the top of my list for any head coaching jobs, he’s always shown a good offensive mind.
Antwaan Randle El:
Fans will probably remember Randle El as an offensive assistant under Bruce Arians. He won the Super Bowl in Tampa in 2020 before moving on to the Detroit Lions in 2021 to become their wide receivers coach. Now he is the wide receivers coach and assistant head coach with the Chicago Bears.
In terms of mentors, Randle El couldn’t ask for better. Not only did he learn under Arians, but also Lions head coach Dan Campbell and Bears head coach and former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Those are three brilliant offensive minds who are all excellent leaders as well.
It seems like Randle El is working his way up the ranks quickly. And with his familiarity with Bucs general manager Jason Licht, it makes for a natural connection.Â
Brian Daboll:
We know Daboll most recently as the head coach of the New York Giants. He was named coach of the year there in 2022, but things eventually fell apart which led to his firing this season. Before that he was the offensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills where he helped turn star quarterback Josh Allen into the player he is today.Â
Before that Daboll had four previous offensive coordinator jobs, three at the NFL level and one in college at Alabama. None of these stints lasted more than two years. He also spent several years with the Patriots where he won five Super Bowls as wide receivers and tight ends coach.
Daboll is one of the bigger names on the market. However, if you look at his success outside of what he did with Josh Allen, he might be more sizzle than steak. However, he’s definitely a name worth looking at.
Mike Kafka:
Kafka was actually Daboll’s offensive coordinator with the Giants. He then took over as interim head coach once Daboll was fired. So if you’re interested in what Daboll brings to the table, you’ll probably like Kafka as well.Â
Before joining the Giants, Kafka was a longtime assistant with the Kansas City Chiefs. He was the quarterbacks coach in 2018-2019 when the team first drafted and developed Patrick Mahomes. Kafka was then given the additional title of passing game coordinator in the year that the Chiefs went to the Super Bowl and lost to the Buccaneers.
Despite the fact that things did not work out with the Giants, Kafka still looks like an impressive young coach. He learned under Andy Reid, who is one of the best offensive minds the NFL has ever seen. Expect Kafka to be an offensive coordinator again soon and the Bucs would be lucky to have him.Â
Thomas Brown:
Brown spent three years under Sean McVay with the Rams from 2020-2022. He held various roles in that time, but one of them was assistant head coach so you assume that McVay thought highly of him. He is currently the passing game coordinator and tight ends coach for the Patriots.
Under Brown’s guidance, second year quarterback Drake Maye has had a breakout season. He will very likely be a finalist for the Most Valuable Player award and he has a good chance of winning it.Â
Brown has previous offensive coordinator experience after holding that role in 2023 with the Carolina Panthers and in 2024 with the Chicago Bears. Those experiences weren’t great, but neither were the situations.
Nate Scheelhaase:
It seems like everyone is saying that Scheelhaase is the next boy genius when it comes to the offense. Last year he was an offensive assistant and passing game specialist with the Rams. This year he is serving as their passing game coordinator.
It says a lot that quarterback Matthew Stafford will likely be the favorite to win the Most Valuable player in this Scheelhaase offense. Despite being just 35 years old and only having two years of NFL coaching experience, it seems like this young coach is on the fast track to being an offensive coordinator.Â
The Bucs interviewed Scheelhaase last season for their offensive coordinator job. And while the team ultimately decided to go in another direction, they already have a good feel for this promising young coach.
Nick Charlton:
This name is a bit of a deep sleeper. Charlton has been with Kevin Stefanski and the Cleveland Browns for the last two seasons. Last year he was a run game specialist that helped running back Jerome Ford average a career high 5.4 yards per carry. This year he was a pass game specialist that helped juggle a carousel of different quarterbacks.
One nice thing about Charlton is that he has play calling experience. He was offensive coordinator at the University of Connecticut under former Atlanta Falcons head coach Jim Mora. The offense ranked 33rd in college football with a running game that averaged over 190 yards per game in 2022.Â
Charlton was also the head coach at the University of Maine for three seasons. He was promoted to head coach after one successful year as offensive coordinator where the team went to the FCS playoffs. He was just 30 years old at the time, which says a lot about what the school thought of him to give him the head coaching job at such a young age.
Considering his success developing the running game, working under Stefanski as a passing game coordinator and his prior playcalling and leadership experience, this could be an ideal young coach to give his big break.
Jake Peetz:
If you’re talking about a young up and coming coach who is looking for his first big opportunity, this might be the ideal choice. Peetz started as Seattle Seahawks passing game coordinator in 2024 where he helped Geno Smith reach a career high in passing yards. Prior to that he was passing game coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams.
Klint Kubiak is the big name candidate on the Seahawks offense this year, but don’t overlook how important Peetz has been in helping this Sam Darnold led passing attack shine. Also consider that Kubiak was unsuccessful in his first offensive coordinator job with the New Orleans Saints in 2024. So perhaps Peetz is more important to their success than we even realize.
One other thing worth mentioning is that Peetz is familiar with Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield. He was part of the Rams staff that coached him in 2022 where he worked as an offensive assistant alongside Liam Coen. Don’t be shocked if Peetz is the next big up and coming star coordinator.
For more from J.T. click here, then make sure to follow him on Twitter.
Follow, Like and Subscribe to Bucs Report
BucsReport.com
For more on this and everything Buccaneers check back here hourly at BucsReport.com.
