Liam Coen has helped elevate the Buccaneers offense into one of many top-scoring models within the NFL. The offensive coordinator could possibly parlay that efficiency right into a promotion. Per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Coen has been “gaining traction” for head teaching gigs. On the very least, the coach is anticipated to be closely concerned within the interview circuit.
After spending a couple of years within the faculty ranks, Coen made a reputation for himself working alongside Sean McVay in Los Angeles. Coen first served because the Rams extensive receivers coach, when he helped information Cooper Kupp to his breakout season in 2019. Coen later labored carefully with Matthew Stafford because the crew’s assistant QBs coach.
Coen left for Kentucky in 2021 to turn out to be the college’s offensive coordinator, however he returned to the Rams in 2022 to switch Kevin O’Connell as OC. Coen went again to Kentucky for a second stint in 2023 earlier than getting employed as Dave Canales‘ substitute in Tampa Bay forward of the 2024 marketing campaign.
Whereas the Buccaneers already had a formidable offense, Coen has helped take the unit to a different stage. The offense is averaging greater than 28 factors per sport regardless of Chris Godwin being misplaced for the season and Mike Evans lacking a handful of video games. Coen has additionally helped flip across the crew’s working sport; after rating in direction of the underside of the NFL in 2022 and 2023, the Buccaneers at present rank second in yards per carry (5.2) and fifth in dashing yards (2,021).
Contemplating Coen’s success in a number of stops, it’s not an enormous shock that he’ll be a sizzling identify on the teaching carousel. The offensive coordinator will likely be comparatively new to the HC interview cycle, and contemplating his restricted observe file, some longer-tenured coordinators will probably get the primary crack at open jobs. Nonetheless, it’s a constructive improvement for Coen’s profession trajectory that he’s already being thought-about for most of these gigs.
As Fowler notes, Coen received’t be the one fashionable identify in Tampa Bay. Assistant GM John Spytek will as soon as once more be thought-about for GM jobs, and fellow assistant GM Mike Greenberg may be a preferred identify (with Fowler particularly pointing to the Jets gig). Fowler additionally factors to vp of soccer analysis Jacqueline Davidson and director of participant personnel Rob McCartney as names to observe, even when they don’t get lengthy appears this offseason.
