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Tampa Bay Buccaneers News & Rumors

Buccaneers STC Keith Armstrong To Retire

January 31st, 2024 at 7:56pm CST by Ely Allen

The Buccaneers will be in search of another new coordinator this offseason after losing their special teams coordinator of the last five years to retirement. Keith Armstrong, 60 years old, informed the team of his intentions to retire today, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.

Armstrong began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Temple, in 1987. Two years later, Armstrong had coached all three sides of the ball after working a year at Miami (FL) as an assistant defensive backs and special teams coach and a year at Akron as a wide receivers coach. He ended his college coaching tenure with a three-year stint as the secondary coach at Oklahoma State followed by a year at Notre Dame as the linebackers and special teams coach.

Armstrong debuted in the NFL with the Falcons as a safeties coach in 1994, eventually being promoted to secondary coach in 1996. Despite his focus on the defensive side of the ball up to this point in his career, Armstrong officially made the switch to special teams with his move to Chicago. After four years as special teams coach with the Bears, Armstrong spent seven years in the same position in Miami followed by 11 years with the Falcons.

In 2019, Armstrong left Atlanta to reunite with two former connections in Todd Bowles and Bruce Arians. It was a long-awaited reunion after Armstrong and Bowles had played as teammates in college at Temple under Arians in the mid-1980s. Armstrong’s move to Tampa Bay marked his first official coordinator designation.

Bowles is now in the position of having to replace two coordinators. After watching offensive coordinator Dave Canales depart for the head coaching job in Carolina, Bowles will now be tasked with replacing Armstrong, as well.

Thad Lewis, John Van Dam To Interview For Bucs’ OC Job

January 31st, 2024 at 9:51am CST by Sam Robinson

9:51am: After the team lost a host of staffers on offense over the past few days, two in-house candidates for the play-calling post exist. The Bucs are also meeting with tight ends coach John Van Dam for the OC position, CBS Sports Jonathan Jones notes. This will be Van Dam’s first OC interview.

Van Dam has been with the Bucs longer than Lewis, arriving as an Arians hire back in 2019. The Bucs promoted Van Dam from the quality control level in 2021, making him assistant tight ends coach ahead of what turned out to be Rob Gronkowski‘s final season. Van Dam moved up to his current position in 2022, overseeing the development of draftees Cade Otton and Ko Kieft.

9:11am: A number of teams have reached out to Thad Lewis about an OC role. The young assistant’s current team is now part of that mix. Amid a widespread search to replace Dave Canales, the Buccaneers have circled back to Lewis.

Lewis’ interview for the Tampa Bay OC post will take place Wednesday, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. The Bucs, who employ Lewis as their quarterbacks coach, join the Bills, Bengals, Titans and Raiders as teams to have reached out to Lewis about their OC position.

When Canales-to-Carolina buzz began to intensify, Lewis came up as a natural candidate to take over. The former quarterback has been with the Bucs for the past three seasons, beginning as assistant wide receivers coach under Bruce Arians before being moved to work with QBs last year.

Although Lewis did not have a chance to coach Tom Brady, Baker Mayfield‘s 2023 showing has understandably generated interest here. The Bengals and Bills promoted candidates internally, while the Raiders and Titans are still looking. Lewis, 36, having just one season coaching QBs puts him on the lighter end in terms of ideal experience. But Mayfield bouncing back after a woeful 2022 in Carolina should give Lewis a quality platform toward being a serious candidate to move up the ladder in Tampa.

The Bucs have already lost three key staffers on offense, seeing Canales take wide receivers coach Brad Idzik, run-game coordinator Harold Goodwin and O-line coach Joe Gilbert with him to Charlotte. Lewis following Canales and his new Panthers assistants out the door would stand to drive a full-on reboot on that side of the ball. Seeing as Mayfield showed the form that once generated extension rumors in Cleveland, losing Lewis as well might be counterproductive for a Bucs team interested in a second contract with the quarterback.

Courtesy of PFR’s Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker, here is how the Bucs’ process looks as of Wednesday morning:

Panthers Hire Harold Goodwin, Three Other Assistants

January 30th, 2024 at 9:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

Already committed to bringing Buccaneers wide receivers coach Brad Idzik with him to Carolina, Dave Canales is adding another veteran Bucs staffer.

The new Panthers HC will bring Harold Goodwin with him to work as the team’s run-game coordinator. The Cardinals’ offensive coordinator under Bruce Arians from 2013-17, Goodwin will bring some experience to an offensive staff that lacks it — in the top positions, at least. Goodwin, 50, spent the past five seasons as the Bucs’ run-game coordinator.

This is an interesting pickup for Canales, as Goodwin was an Arians assistant for much of the past 20 years. Following Arians from Pittsburgh to Indianapolis to Tampa, Goodwin will make his first non-Arians-driven move since he began his NFL career on Lovie Smith‘s Bears staffs in the mid-2000s.

Todd Bowles is in the process of finding a new offensive coordinator; he will need to replace two key offensive assistants as well. This includes O-line coach Joe Gilbert, who is following Canales and Goodwin to Charlotte.

The Panthers sent out an interview request to Raiders assistant offensive line coach Cameron Clemmons about their O-line coach position, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. The Raiders already lost their O-line coach from last season, Carmen Bricillo, to the Giants. It is unclear if Clemmons remains in the Antonio Pierce-run team’s plans. But Canales will bring another Bucs assistant with him.

Gilbert joined Goodwin, 59, as an Arians hire back in 2019, and the veteran assistant spent the past five seasons as the Bucs’ O-line coach. This will be Gilbert’s third run as an NFL O-line coach; he initially held that position for the Colts under Chuck Pagano. While Canales and Idzik will run the Panthers’ offense, Goodwin and Gilbert will provide considerable experience. Gilbert replaces James Campen, a Matt Rhule hire who was not retained.

Additionally, the Panthers are adding Rob Moore as wide receivers coach and Bernie Parmalee as running backs coach. A former Jets and Cardinals standout receiver, Moore spent the past six seasons as the Titans’ wideouts coach. He held the same roles with the Bills and Raiders previously. A former running back, Parmalee spent the past three years as the Jaguars’ RBs coach. He has also coached special teams and tight ends during a 14-year NFL coaching career.

Buccaneers Want To Re-Sign LB Lavonte David; No Baker Mayfield Talks Yet

January 30th, 2024 at 7:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Buccaneers’ interest in retaining Mike Evans and Antoine Winfield Jr. has been fairly well documented at this point, but the organization wants to retain one of its other Super Bowl starters. Lavonte David remains in the team’s plans.

Wrapping his 12th year with the Bucs, David is still playing at a high level. The veteran defender led the team with 134 tackles — his most since 2015 — and produced 4.5 sacks (his most since 2016). While Devin White‘s propensity for freelancing has undercut his athleticism, David has offered the team much more consistency. And the Bucs are placing a priority on David finishing his career in Tampa, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com notes.

While White could well be on the move after a disappointing contract year in which he saw his role decrease, David still looks to have a great chance of playing another season in Tampa. David, 33, played out a one-year, $4.5MM contract. If the Bucs do not re-sign David before the start of the 2024 league year on March 13, they will be hit with a $2.67MM dead-money charge. That is unlikely to faze a team that spent a season with a $35.1MM in Tom Brady dead money on its books.

One of this era’s best off-ball linebackers, David’s Pro Bowl count is lacking (one) due to the NFL still grouping rush linebackers and non-rush ‘backers together. David, however, is a three-time All-Pro who is the team’s second-leading tackler. Only Derrick Brooks (1,713) has more than David (1,480) among Buccaneers. David played 15 games this season, rating as Pro Football Focus’ No. 28 overall linebacker.

After carrying more than $70MM in dead money this year, the Bucs are projected to hold more than $37MM in cap space. The statuses of Evans, Winfield and Baker Mayfield will likely cut into that figure and require more work. The franchise tag figures to come out, with Winfield the cheapest of Tampa Bay’s options (the safety tenure is projected to be $17.2MM). The Bucs, however, have done quite well in retaining their top free agents in recent years. They let Shaquil Barrett, Carlton Davis and Jamel Dean test free agency before re-signing each over the past three years.

Barrett acknowledged recently he is probably on the cap-casualty radar. If the Bucs designate the veteran sack artist as a post-June 1 cut, they would save $4.9MM. Void years and a restructure have Barrett’s through-2024 deal (four years, $68MM) sitting as a rather onerous figure on Tampa Bay’s payroll. Barrett is due a $15MM roster bonus if he is on the team as of the fifth day of the 2024 league year, Laine adds. The 31-year-old veteran’s situation will be one to monitor; coming back from an Achilles tear, Barrett tallied just 4.5 sacks in 16 games.

Both Mayfield and the Bucs want to extend this partnership, but the quarterback confirmed (via The Athletic’s Mike Jones) no talks have taken place yet. Mayfield put together a strong playoff outing to lead the Bucs to a Round 1 win over the Eagles. That brought the 2023 UFA signing an additional $250K, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

March 2023, which saw three midlevel veterans sign for between $25MM and $40MM per year, can be labeled a broad price range for Mayfield. Even eclipsing the Geno Smith AAV — on a three-year, $75MM deal — would be an achievement for Mayfield, who could only command a one-year deal worth $4MM. Then again, Smith’s contract represents the floor for established QBs. Mayfield could conceivably move toward the Daniel Jones price point, with ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano mentioning $40MM as a logical place for talks to end. That would put the Bucs to the test, seeing as Brady never topped $25MM per year (though, his money was fully guaranteed).

Building a roster with Mayfield at $40MM per annum would be much more difficult, but the market the former No. 1 pick would command if he reached free agency — as a few teams will be looking for veteran options — will work against the Bucs this time around. Given his value fluctuation in recent years, Mayfield will be one of this year’s most interesting free agents.

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:

Panthers Hire Brad Idzik As OC

January 30th, 2024 at 11:49am CST by Adam La Rose

Dave Canales is in place as the new head coach of the Panthers, and his choice to fill the offensive coordinator role comes as no surprise. Carolina is set to hire Buccaneers receivers coach Brad Idzik as OC, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Canales and Idzik have a history with each other dating back to their Seattle days, and for that reason it was reported over the weekend that the latter was the likeliest candidate for Carolina’s OC post. Canales will likely take on play-calling duties with the Panthers after he did the same during his time with the Buccaneers in 2023, but Idzik will be a central figure on Carolina’s staff.

The Panthers were again all-in with respect to their pursuit of Lions OC Ben Johnson. While that did not materialize, it remained the expectation that an offensive candidate would be tapped as head coach. Canales will be tasked with overseeing quarterback Bryce Young‘s development after a poor rookie season. Idzik will assist in that regard as both staffers take on their respective new titles for the first time.

Idzik, 32, began his coaching career in 2019 with the Seahawks. During much of his time in Seattle, he worked with the team’s wide receivers, though he also had one year as an assistant QBs coach with the added title of offensive quality control coach. His first year with the Bucs came in 2023 as he followed Canales from Seattle to Tampa Bay, and their relationship will now continue in a new environment once again.

The fate of incumbent Panthers OC Thomas Brown has remained uncertain through the hiring cycle, but it had been expected that a new face would be added once the team’s next head coach was in place. Brown drew praise upon arrival on Frank Reich‘s staff, but he struggled in a play-calling capacity as the Panthers underwhelmed on offense both before and after Reich’s firing. Today’s news means Brown (who has been connected to multiple outside OC openings) will be free to pursue other options.

Carolina ranked at or near the bottom of several offensive categories in 2023, and improvement from Young, along with developments along the O-line and at the skill positions will be needed moving forward. Plenty of attention will be on Canales to deliver that, but Idzik will remain a key confidant along the way as his rise through the NFL coaching ranks continues.

Buccaneers QBs Coach Thad Lewis Receiving Interest For OC; Bills, Raiders First To Reach Out

January 29th, 2024 at 8:40pm CST by Ely Allen

TODAY, 8:40pm: Lewis has secured an interview, as the former QB met with the Titans today about their offensive coordinator vacancy, according to ESPN’s Kimberley A. Martin.

SATURDAY, 3:35pm: The Buccaneers made the playoffs this year partially thanks to some improvements to a re-tooled offense with a new starting quarterback in Baker Mayfield getting coached up by a new offensive coordinator in Dave Canales and quarterbacks coach in Thad Lewis. The success seen in Tampa Bay will result in the team having to re-tool once more. With Canales departing to become head coach of the Panthers, Lewis will see opportunities for offensive coordinator jobs moving forward.

The first of those opportunities will come in the form of an interview with the Bills, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The Bills are looking to replace Ken Dorsey after firing the play-caller midseason this year. After firing Dorsey, the team went on to win six of their final seven games under the play-calls of quarterbacks coach Joe Brady, with their only loss coming in overtime to the Eagles. After failing to win the race for the Falcons’ head job, Brady will interview for the Bills’ full-time offensive coordinator gig, competing with Lewis.

Lewis has also had an interview requested by the Raiders to be the new coordinator under new head coach Antonio Pierce, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. If Lewis were to interview, he would join a field of five candidates that has been reduced from seven due to recent hires. There have also been rumors that Lewis could follow Canales to Carolina.

Lewis has risen quickly in NFL circles. After spending two years as an offensive analyst at UCLA, Lewis joined the Buccaneers as an intern in 2020. He was promoted to assistant wide receivers coach before earning his current position. After only four years in the NFL, Lewis is on the cusp of reaching one of the heights of offensive coaching.

Buccaneers To Interview Alex Van Pelt For OC Position

January 29th, 2024 at 8:47am CST by Adam La Rose

The Buccaneers’ search for a new offensive coordinator will include a meeting with a familiar face for quarterback Baker Mayfield. Alex Van Pelt is set to interview with Tampa Bay today, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

[RELATED: Raiders Conduct OC Interview With Van Pelt]

Van Pelt worked alongside Mayfield during their time together with the Browns. The former’s time after Deshaun Watson was acquired was not sufficient for him to remain in place, however, and he was fired after the Browns’ season came to an end. A return to the Buccaneers’ coaching staff could now be in play.

From 2010-11, Van Pelt served as Tampa Bay’s quarterbacks coach. That tenure came after his stint as OC of the Bills, and preceded his time with the Packers and Bengals before he took on his next coordinator opportunity with the Browns. During Van Pelt’s first season in Cleveland, Mayfield posted a career-high passer rating of 95.9 while helping guide the team to an 11-5 record. A strong run game played a major part in that success, but Mayfield’s performances took a turn for the worse after that season.

The former No. 1 pick bounced around to the Panthers and Rams after the end to his Browns tenure, but he impressed during his debut Buccaneers campaign. Mayfield may have played his way into a new deal with Tampa Bay, but an extended tenure with the team would not come with Dave Canales at the helm. The latter parlayed his one-year OC run into the head coaching job with the Panthers.

The Buccaneers put up middling numbers in several categories this season, but the team’s struggles on the ground continued. Tampa Bay finished last in the league in rushing, and the team’s new OC will be tasked with guiding a turnaround in that department. A reunion with Van Pelt (who did not call plays during his overlapping time alongside head coach Kevin Stefanski in Cleveland) in Tampa Bay could help produce a better balance on offense while giving Mayfield a familiar face on the sidelines.

Here is an updated look at the Buccaneers’ ongoing search:

Panthers Likely To Hire Buccaneers’ Brad Idzik As OC

January 28th, 2024 at 4:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Panthers are almost definitely searching for a non-play-calling offensive coordinator, with new HC hire Dave Canales on track to call plays. It does not look like Carolina is preparing an expansive search to fill this position.

As of now, two OC candidates are in the mix for the Carolina job. The team put in a request to meet with Buccaneers wide receivers coach Brad Idzik, according to SI’s JC Allen. While the team has also requested a meeting with Eagles assistant Marcus Brady, Canales is expected to go with familiarity.

Idzik has emerged as the likely hire, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero adds. The son of former Jets GM John Idzik, Brad just finished his first season as the Bucs’ wideouts coach. Brad Idzik has worked with Canales for much longer, however. He was in place as the Seahawks’ assistant wide receivers coach from 2019-20 and again in 2022. Prior to that stay, Idzik spent five years as a Stanford graduate assistant.

The Panthers cannot hire Idzik until they meet with Brady. The Rooney Rule requires teams to meet with at least one external minority candidate for coordinator positions. We have seen a few teams conduct quick OC searches during this period, however. The Falcons only met with two candidates, hiring Zac Robinson from the Rams. The Bengals and Bills also met with just two, hiring from within.

Mike Evans extended his record-setting streak of consecutive seasons to start a career to 10, but the 6-foot-5 standout was more productive with Baker Mayfield than he was with Tom Brady. Evans’ 1,255 yards were his most since 2018, and the 10th-year receiver’s 13 TD receptions led the NFL. Chris Godwin also produced a third straight 1,00-yard season.

Carolina went with experience during the 2023 cycle, bringing in Frank Reich — a five-year play-caller — to run the show. Canales has called plays for one season, while Idzik only moved up from the assistant WRs level in 2023. That said, Canales was on Pete Carroll‘s Seahawks staff for 13 years. Should this OC hire come to pass, the Panthers will bet big on this newly formed Canales tree.

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