Which Bucs Coaches Could Get Future HC Consideration?

The 2024 NFL season is past the halfway point, and some teams are already deep in preparation for next season.

Some teams are putting together their in-depth scouting reports on the top prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft, while others will be looking for general managers and head coaches to help with that process. The coming weeks will reveal how many franchises will be looking to make changes.

On the head-coaching front, established names and young up-and-comers could be on the wish list of various NFL owners. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero recently put together a list that includes one Bucs coach for this year’s cycle and four others named as coaches to keep an eye on in the coming years.

Bucs OC Liam Coen Is Building A Strong Resume For A HC Job

With how Liam Coen has directed the Bucs’ offense this season, it is no surprise to see his name among the top head-coaching candidates on Tom Pelissero’s list. The NFL has shifted to an offense-minded league in recent years, spurred by the hiring of Rams head coach Sean McVay and the desire for teams to find the next bright offensive mind. Coen, thanks in part to the tutelage under McVay in Los Angeles, has quickly become one.

While Scott Reynolds recently opined that he is not going anywhere regardless of how this season pans out, other teams will surely want to bring him in for head-coaching interviews in an attempt to pry him from his current post.

Pelissero wrote about Coen:

A former UMass quarterback who still holds school passing records, Coen spent a season in the arena league before going into coaching, where his résumé in recent years has been unique. He had two stints each with the Rams (2018-20, 2022) and the University of Kentucky (2021, 2023) before replacing Panthers head coach Dave Canales as Tampa Bay’s OC this past offseason. The Buccaneers’ offense has improved statistically, ranking fifth in scoring (27.9 points per game) despite Tampa’s ongoing four-game losing streak amidst injuries to its top receivers. Coen has the demeanor and personality for a head job. He may get a look.

Four Other Bucs Coaches Named As Ones To Watch In Coming Years

While Liam Coen is certainly the biggest name mentioned from the Bucs, four other coaches were brought as promising minds to watch in the future. Offensive line coach Kevin Carberry, pass game coordinator/inside linebackers coach Larry Foote, quarterbacks coach Thad Lewis, and pass game assistant John Van Dam were also mentioned.

Carberry was brought in by Coen to Tampa Bay to help improve the Bucs’ run game, and he has been critical in turning it into a top-ten rushing offense. His passionate, fiery coaching style has helped elevate the offensive trenches, most notably a second-year improvement by right guard Cody Mauch and aiding in the development of rookie center Graham Barton into a starter.

Foote has been on the defensive coaching staff since 2019, having been brought in by head coach Todd Bowles back from their days with the Cardinals. Still only 44 years old, he has a strong resume of being a player for 13 years and now a coach in some capacity for nearly a decade.

Lewis and Van Dam are other young offensive minds on the staff, and the former had some interviews for offensive coordinator positions this offseason, including the Bucs. Lewis has worked closely with quarterback Baker Mayfield since he joined the Bucs in 2023, and his career resurgence is a strong bullet point to have as he attempts to climb the coaching ladder.

Van Dam also interviewed for the team’s offensive coordinator post before switching to a pass game assistant this season under Coen. Mayfield’s elevated play this season has also put his name on the map.

For now though, each of these coaches remains focused on the task at hand, and that is turning around the Bucs’ season. Still, with one eye always looking toward the future, one has to wonder about the trajectory of each coach and how the coaching staff looks at this time next year.