The Bucs have completed their interview for offensive coordinator with candidate Jim Bob Cooter, the team announced on Thursday evening. It’s been a busy week for Tampa Bay as this is the third interview they’ve had this week following meetings with Klint Kubiak and Keenan McCardell.
Cooter Was Efficient With Jaguars And QB Lawrence
Cooter found success last season in his first year as the passing game coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars with Doug Pederson. The Jaguars won the AFC South and made the postseason for the first time since 2017, even winning in the first round following a 27-0 deficit. Cooter played in a hand in the progression of second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence as Jacksonville was 10th in the league in passing yards per game (237.9) and points per game (23.8).
Lawrence saw vast improvement as a quarterback from year one to year two. As a rookie he threw for 3,641 yards, 12 touchdowns and a high number of 17 interceptions. This season he increased his game with 4,113 yards, 25 touchdowns and lowering the interceptions to 8.
Cooter had coaching stops with the University of Tennessee, Colts, Chiefs and Broncos until he got his longest coaching stay at the offensive coordinator of the Lions from 2015 to 2019. He was then the running backs coach for the Jets in 2019 and 2020, followed by a consultant role with the Eagles in 2021 before his role with the Jags last season.
Bucs May Have To Go With A Young QB
Tampa Bay is still holding out hope that Tom Brady will decide to play again and choose to stay with the Bucs in 2023. However, at some point or another the Bucs have to plan for their franchise outlook when he is no longer an option – whether that’s this year or the one after.
At the moment, Kyle Trask is the only quarterback under contract on the Bucs’ roster. Heading into his third season, Trask has very little experience. He’s been listed as inactive on game day for most of his career, but did get some time to play in Week 18 of the Bucs’ regular season finale against the Falcons. He completed three of nine passes for 23 yards and had a QB rating of 42.4.
If the Bucs can’t get another veteran quarterback as the starter, the options are either Trask or looking for a quarterback in the draft. Knowing that Cooter has worked with a young quarterback and helped take their game to another level while also having experience calling plays could be appealing to the Bucs as they continue their coaching search.
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