Buccaneers begin offensive coordinator search

Tampa Bay has confirmed a running list of 4 initial candidates.

The Buccaneers confirmed the completion of a quadfecta of interviews for their vacant offensive coordinator position.

The process began in earnest Saturday, when Tampa confirmed virtual meetings with Minnesota assistant quarterbacks coach and “chief of special projects” Grant Udinski, as well as Los Angeles Chargers pass game coordinator Marcus Brady.

Monday came two more confirmed interviews with a pair of Rams coaching staff members – pass game specialist Nate Scheelhaase and tight ends coach / pass game coordinator Nick Caley.

While more candidates are sure to emerge, including in-house options, this search already bears resemblance to the last two years that ended with major success. General manager Jason Licht and head coach Todd Bowles have been locked in on sharp young minds from massively successful systems and coaching trees.

Udinski, who also interviewed with the Seattle Seahawks before they brought in Klint Kubiak, is young, bolded and underlined for emphasis – 28 years old to be precise. It’s incredibly rare to see anyone under 30 get a position like this one, even as the Bears hired same-aged Declan Doyle to be their OC (though he won’t be calling plays). Udinski is reportedly held in high regard as one of Kevin O’Connell’s top lieutenants over the last 3 years.

Brady has been an offensive coordinator before during an ill-fated stretch with Frank Reich and the Indianapolis Colts, where he basically served as the scapegoat for Reich’s shortcomings before the latter went down with the ship himself. He’s consulted with the Eagles since then before stepping into the pass coordinator role for the Chargers. Again, not much in the way of sterling results, but it’s widely acknowledged how talent-strapped L.A. was in 2024.

While those two might have outside shot, it’s clear the real contenders got their swings on Monday.

Like the departed Liam Coen, Scheelhaase and Caley have some familiarity with the general Sean McVay-ian scheme that has worked well for Tampa over the prior two years. Scheelhaase, who does have playcalling experience with Iowa State, might not be as intimately familiar being just a one-year understudy, but the 34-year-old serves an important role in McVay’s circle that has yielded several proven coordinators in the past.

Caley, 42, is arguably the hottest name of the cycle. His name has also been tied to the New York Jets and the Houston Texans, though one could certainly argue the Bucs have a more appealing situation than either of those two spots. Caley coached with the New England Patriots under Josh McDaniels for six years before moving onto the Rams in 2023 as tight ends coach. He adopt the passing coordinator role this past year and helped keep that unit afloat through a 1-4 start with several massive injuries to the receivers and offensive line.

Aforementioned in-house candidates will certainly include current pass game coordinator Josh Grizzard, 34, and quarterbacks coach Thad Lewis, 37. Their interviews have yet to be confirmed.

Stay tuned for the latest coaching news and updates as the OC search draws on.