SR’s Top 10 Takeaways From Bucs Offensive Coach Pressers

Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen and quarterbacks coach Thad Lewis both said that Baker Mayfield’s status with the team has changed with his three-year, $100-million contract this offseason. This is Baker Mayfield’s team now.

Last year, Mayfield came to the Bucs as a relatively unknown commodity looking to resuscitate his NFL career and beat out Kyle Trask for the right to start at quarterback. After leading the team to another NFC South championship and winning a home playoff game against the Eagles, Mayfield has proven himself and enters 2024 as the unquestioned starter given his massive new deal.

The coaches expect Mayfield to come into the offseason program more at ease and more comfortable, but still maintaining the chip on his shoulder that got him the Heisman Trophy in college and made him the No. 1 overall pick in 2018 when he entered the league. They also expect Mayfield to let it rip more in practice with his increased comfort that comes with his new contract.

Baker Mayfield Is Working On Two Things This Offseason

Bucs quarterbacks coach Thad Lewis said that the main emphasis for Baker Mayfield this year will be footwork and learning the new offense. Mayfield will have more on his plate by having the freedom to make audibles and checks at the line of scrimmage this year.

The plan is to put a lot on Mayfield’s plate this offseason to see what he can retain and what is too much. Then scale some things back if necessary.

Aside from footwork, Mayfield needs to work on manipulating defenses with his eyes to avoid having passes batted down at the line of scrimmage. With Mayfield being just 6-foot, he needs to look in a different direction before throwing the ball so defensive linemen won’t have time to react and get their hands up. That’s something Liam Coen is working with Mayfield on this offseason.

Offseason Emphasis Is On Improving Bucs Ground Game

Although the offseason may lend itself to working more on the passing game with the flag football-type rules in place for OTAs and mini-camps, such as no real contact and certainly no pads, Liam Coen has been emphasizing the running game. And with good reason, as Tampa Bay has had the league’s worst ground game the last two seasons.

Coen said that the biggest culprit for the past failure of the Bucs’ running game has been the lack of diversity of runs. He plans on installing many more running plays that attack both the interior and the edge to give opposing defenses a lot to think about and prepare for. Coen indicated that the Bucs’ ground game was too predictable at times without a lot of different plays to throw at defenses.

Getting bigger and stronger in the middle has also been emphasized this offseason with the drafting of Graham Barton, a 6-foot-5, 313-pound left tackle who will get the first shot at center. But even Robert Hainsey, the team’s center the last two years, and right guard Cody Mauch have gotten bigger and stronger this offseason per the directive of the new coaching staff.

Rachaad White Needs To Be A More Urgent Runner

Both offensive coordinator Liam Coen and running backs coach Skip Peete have said that Rachaad White needs to be faster after taking the handoff and hitting the holes with more authority. Coen said he wants White to run like he’s “shot out of a cannon.”

Peete said that White can’t let the quest for 1,000 yards come down to the last few games, saying he had all season to get 1,000 yards. White wound up 10 yards short of 1,000 yards in his first year as a starting running back, finishing with 990 yards on the ground.

Peete also challenged White to run with more physicality. Because White is the biggest back in Tampa Bay at 220 pounds, he needs to be more effective in short yardage and goal line situations and run with more violence.

Bucky Irving Will Compete For Playing Time

One of the reasons why Bucky Irving was drafted by the Bucs was that he gets to top speed very quickly and runs through contact – not just to contact, according to Skip Peete. The Bucs running backs coach also said Irving is sneaky fast despite his lackluster 40-time (4.55) and that he is a sudden runner with good hands.

Irving will compete with Chase Edmonds and Sean Tucker for the RB2 role this year, and said that Tucker needs to work on his decision-making ability and that is what kept him off the field last year. The Oregon product has the ability to play on all three downs due to his receiving skills.

Peete said that he likes to keep a fresh back in the game at all times and isn’t opposed to using multiple backs in a game, although it was pretty much a two-back team last year with White and Edmonds. He likened Irving’s playing style to Tony Pollard, whom he coached in Dallas.

New Details Emerge About Bucs Passing Attack

Bucs wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon said that Liam Coen’s passing game revolves around the concept of how fast the Bucs can threaten defenses vertically. Passing game coordinator Josh Grizzard and quarterbacks coach Thad Lewis said the most noticeable difference between Coen’s offense and what the Bucs ran last year will be the increased usage of motion and shifts pre-snap.

Pre-snap motions and shifts not only give the quarterback and the offense “tells” about whether the defense is in man coverage or zone, but they can also be used to create a numbers advantage on one side of the field or the other. The object is to manipulate the defense and make opposing defenses play by the offense’s rules.

Nothing is set in stone right now, but Grizzard indicated he would probably be up in the press box assisting Coen, who would be on the sidelines on game days, with a bird’s eye view of the field.

Jalen McMillan Will Start Off As A Flanker

Mike Evans is entrenched as Tampa Bay’s X receiver (split end), and Chris Godwin is moving back to the slot almost exclusively. That means that rookie Jalen McMillan will vie for playing time with Trey Palmer at flanker (Z receiver), according to Bucs wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon.

Tampa Bay’s third-round pick will cross-train at every position though, as the team likes his versatility. Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen said that McMillan was “wired to separate” and is a very quarterback-friendly receiver.

McMillan will be competing with Palmer for WR3 duties, and passing game coordinator Josh Grizzard said that Palmer’s speed is noticeable in the offseason and he’s working on his route-running ability. Rakim Jarrett also got lots of praise from McClendon and Grizzard.

Sua Opeta Might Get The First Crack At LG

With Cody Mauch penciled in at right guard and rookie Graham Barton penciled in at center, the left guard spot remains wide open and a hot topic. Offensive coordinator Liam Coen discussed newcomer Sua Opeta as a leading candidate, and actually only mentioned him, which was interesting. Opeta is a big, strong guard, who benched 225 pounds 39 times at the NFL Scouting Combine.

New offensive line coach Kevin Carberry also mentioned Opeta and fellow newcomer Ben Bredeson, who split time playing guard and center with the Giants. He is excited about the competition the team will have once they get to training camp.

Also factoring in the mix is rookie guard Elijah Klein, the team’s sixth-round pick. Coen called Klein “mean” and “competitive,” implying he has the right type of mentality for the Bucs. Carberry likes Klein’s twitchiness and suddenness, in addition to his square frame.

The Bucs Like Devin Culp’s Speed

New tight ends coach Justin Peelle said he doesn’t mind having a young tight end room and likes the talent he has to work with. That includes new tight end Devin Culp, the team’s seventh-round pick.

Peelle likes the fact that Culp fights on every play as a blocker, in addition to his 4.47 speed. Offensive coordinator Liam Coen said that Culp has “speed you can’t coach.” Look for Culp to be split out wide to create some mismatches in coverages with either smaller defensive backs or slower linebackers on him.

Peelle said his message to the tight ends room with the team going to fewer two tight end sets is, “make us put you on the field.” He wants to find other tight ends who can step up and play to help take some of the workload off Cade Otton’s shoulders. Otton started all 17 games last year and played 98% of the snaps.

Attacking New Kickoff Rule Is Thomas McGaughey’s Top Priority

As expected, new Bucs special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey said his main focus this offseason in his first year in Tampa Bay is to figure out the new kickoff rule. McGaughey said that he’s spent a lot of time watching kickoffs from the USFL, which is where it was adopted from.

The teams that figure out the best ways to attack their opponent and master the new kickoffs will have an advantage, but McGaughey also said that the teams that also make the quickest adjustments to counter it will also have a leg up in 2024. He indicated that the team might use more starters on kickoffs as a result of it being truly an offense/defense play rather than a traditional special teams play.

McGaughey mentioned Deven Thompkins, last year’s chief returner, being involved again in the mix to find a returner. He also said rookie running back Bucky Irving would be a candidate.