HEADLINES

Buccaneers To Interview Lions’ Tanner Engstrand For OC

January 30th, 2024 at 2:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

While the Panthers conducted a narrow OC search that will end with Buccaneers wide receivers coach Brad Idzik following Dave Canales to Charlotte, Tampa Bay is going through with a thorough process. This will now include a look at the Lions’ staff.

Detroit pass-game coordinator Tanner Engstrand is on Tampa Bay’s radar, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, who notes the Bucs will interview the Dan Campbell staffer soon. Engstrand is also on the Patriots’ radar; he interviewed for the New England OC job last week.

This has marked Engstrand’s first offseason on the OC carousel. The Lions are surprisingly retaining Ben Johnson for a third year as their play-caller, but one of his top lieutenants could be headed elsewhere. That said, the Bucs have six names on their OC radar. Three of Tampa Bay’s other candidates — Ken Dorsey, Kellen Moore, Zac Robinson — landed coordinator jobs with other teams.

Campbell retained Engstrand, 41, from the Matt Patricia staff, though this was his first season as the team’s pass-game coordinator. The 2020 Detroit hire coached the team’s tight ends from 2020-22. Although the Commanders were favored to hire Johnson, the latter’s decision to again stay in Detroit has affected the HC carousel. Johnson’s call also closes off a potential OC path for Engstrand, who could have been a candidate to become Lions OC had Johnson left as expected.

Here is how the Bucs’ expansive OC search looks as of Tuesday afternoon:

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