Buccaneers Request OC Interview With Rams’ Nate Scheelhaase
Todd Bowles isn’t wasting any time looking to replace Liam Coen. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Buccaneers requested an interview with Rams coach Nate Scheelhaase for their offensive coordinator job.
[RELATED: Jaguars Hire Liam Coen As HC]
Even just garnering a coordinator interview is a major career step for the fast-rising coach. Scheelhaase had a long run in the college ranks, including a one-year stop as Iowa State’s offensive coordinator. That performance helped him generate some NFL interest, and he ended up joining Sean McVay‘s staff in Los Angeles as an offensive assistant and passing game specialist.
The Rams’ passing offense left a bit to be desired in 2024, as Matthew Stafford‘s touchdown percentage and passing-yards-per-game mark flirted with his career-lows. On the flip side, Scheelhaase and the offensive staff helped squeeze a career-low 1.5-percent interception rate out of the QB (excluding his three-game showing in 2010), and his 50.1-percent passing percentage was the second-best of his career.
In Tampa Bay, Scheelhaase would be tasked with overseeing an offense that finished top-five in both points scored and offensive yards. While Coen got a career year from Baker Mayfield, the quarterback also showed success under former OC Dave Canales. Assuming Mayfield’s resurgence continues, Tampa Bay’s new OC can be confident that they’re inheriting an elite offense.
Scheelhaase lacks experience, but he would provide some continuity with his Rams-inspired offense. Coen was also a product of McVay’s system, and Bowles could look to once again pick from that coaching tree. The Buccaneers could also find that continuity within their current staff, and Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston says both pass-game coordinator Josh Grizzard and pass-game assistant John Van Dam are internal candidates for the gig.
Staff Notes: Raiders, Bears, Bucs, Dolphins
New Raiders offensive coordinator Todd Downing had a year remaining on his deal, but the contract allowed the ex-quarterbacks coach to interview for other clubs’ offensive coordinator vacancies, according to Jerry McDonald of the Oakland Tribune (Twitter link). Without naming any particular team, Downing confirmed previous reports that multiple clubs expressed interest in hiring him as OC. Instead, Oakland parted ways with former play-caller Bill Musgrave and installed Downing as coordinator.
Here’s more from the 201 hiring cycle:
- The Bears have interviewed Bob Bicknell, Ronald Curry, and George McDonald as part of their effort to find a new wide receivers coach, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Bicknell has coached wideouts at the NFL level since 2012, spending time with Buffalo, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. Curry, a former NFL wide receiver himself, has worked on the Raiders’ and 49ers’ staffs, while McDonald has spent the past several years in the coaching ranks.
- Ex-Saints defensive assistant James Willis is a candidate for the Bears‘ assistant defensive line coach position and will interview this week, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. New Orleans relieved Willis of his duties last month after he’d spent two years with the club. Willis previously coached in the NCAA with Alabama, Auburn, and Texas Tech.
- The Buccaneers announced that they’ve hired Danny Breyer as a defensive assistant. Breyer spent the 2016 campaign as an analytics staffer in Tampa Bay, worked for the Dolphins year prior, and coached in the college ranks before heading to the NFL.
- The Dolphins have hired Josh Grizzard as an offensive quality control coach, tweets Caplan. Grizzard previously worked as an assistant quarterbacks and quality control coach at Duke, where he’d spent the past four years.