Bucs have reached an agreement to make Liam Coen their new offensive coordinator. Former Rams assistant coming to Tampa.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) February 3, 2024
The reports have been confirmed — the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have their man.
FOX Sports’ Greg Auman reported on Saturday that Kentucky Wildcats offensive coordinator Liam Coen is set to be Tampa Bay’s new OC. The hiring comes a day after reports that the two sides were close to striking a deal.
Coen’s offense will have some continuity with that of Dave Canales’ offense, as he worked with current Chicago Bears OC Shane Waldron in Los Angeles under Sean McVay. Waldron was the OC in Seattle from 2021-23, and a lot of Canales’ offense is thus inspired by McVay’s through Waldron. As a result, the scheme and plays should be quite similar, avoiding a total change to the playbook.
The move may also help retain quarterback Baker Mayfield. Coen worked with Mayfield in 2022 when Mayfield had his very brief stint with the Los Angeles Rams, so the familiarity there could be a draw for the signal caller to come back to Tampa Bay. Mayfield told reporters he wanted to wait to see who was calling the plays in Tampa Bay before continuing talks, and now that it has happened, those talks can indeed continue.
Coen spent 2023 as the offensive coordinator for the Kentucky Wildcats, which wasn’t an unfamiliar job with him, either. He also spent 2021 in Lexington, and he was able to coach Will Levis to his best college season. Whether he can bring the same value to Mayfield remains to be seen, but between the continuity and his QB experience, there’s a lot to like about Tampa Bay’s new hire.
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