With extra head teaching vacancies being stuffed by the day, the curiosity be Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen and the Jacksonville Jaguars continues to develop. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport has reported that Coen is about to have a second interview with Jacksonville this week and it’s an in-person interview.
This comes off the heels of reviews that the Chicago Bears are hiring former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to turn into their head coach. Johnson was closely thought-about as a prime head teaching candidate this offseason and the Jaguars had been very thinking about him as properly. With Johnson off the board, Jacksonville might pivot to Liam Coen, making it the third 12 months in a row that the Bucs could be in seek for a brand new offensive coordinator.
Liam Coen Is Amongst A number of Teaching Candidates
Whereas Bucs followers are rightfully nervous about Liam Coen probably departing from Tampa, it’s essential to specify that Rapoport als mentioned that there are a number of candidates that Jacksonville is taking a look at. In his similar put up on X, Rapoport mentions that the Jaguars may also be interviewing Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and former Jets head coach Robert Saleh.
Graham has but to be a head coach however has been a coach within the NFL since 2009. He’s been with the Patriots, Giants, Packers, Dolphins and Raiders in his profession with roles reminiscent of line of defense coach, linebackers coach, assistant head coach and defensive coordinator. He helped win Tremendous Bowl 50 over the Patriots, which many bear in mind from a key defensive play late within the recreation with a Malcolm Butler interception.
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield, OC Liam Coen and QBs coach Thad Lewis – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
A bonus that Robert Saleh has going into these interviews is that he at the very least has head teaching expertise. He didn’t have report with the Jets at 20-36, however their organizations constant meddling and disfunction may be chalked as much as the rationale why they weren’t profitable. Saleh made his inventory rise earlier than the Jets as a profitable defensive coordinator with the 49ers and has been within the NFL since 2005.
Liam Coen doesn’t almost have as a lot expertise as these different two coaches, however there’s not denying the good job he’s accomplished as an offensive coordinator with the Bucs. Underneath Liam Coen’s watch, the Bucs scored 502 factors within the common season. That’s the second most they’ve rating in franchise historical past. Tampa Bay averaged 29.5 factors per recreation, which was fourth greatest within the league.
He was in a position to get Mike Evans to achieve 1,000 receiving yards for the eleventh straight season, regardless of lacking three video games. Liam Coen additionally arrange Bucky Irving be the Bucs first working again to surpass 1,000 dashing yards in a decade and assisted in Baker Mayfield reaching profession highs in a number of classes. That features 41 passing touchdowns, which put Mayfield second all-time Bucs historical past for single season passing touchdowns, trailing Tom Brady by two.
Bucs OC Liam Coen – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
This all got here in Liam Coen’s first 12 months as a play caller on the NFL degree. He might not have all the expertise of some others lobbying for this job, however he’s confirmed shortly that he’s able to excelling within the position. The Jaguars have a younger core of expertise on offense that they might need Coen to get one of the best out of.
It stays to be seen how the Bucs will deal with this if Coen is obtainable a head teaching job. Will they attempt to persuade he to return again by giving him extra money? Will they determine they’ll’t lose him and make him the pinnacle coach in Tampa. There are a number of eventualities wherein the Bucs and their entrance workplace might want to play out with the intention to preserve their excessive flying offense in a great spot heading into subsequent season.
Pewter Report spoke so much about Liam Coen throughout Monday’s Pewter Report Podcast. Try the video beneath for our opinions about it.
