Following the sudden departure of first-year offensive coordinator Dave Canales, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were forced to revamp their offensive coaching staff in a hurry.
Which is exactly what they've done.
Last week, following the announcement of Liam Coen as the team's new offensive coordinator, it was reported that the Bucs had hired Brian Picucci to become their next assistant offensive line coach, and Bryan McLendon as their wide receivers coach.
So on Thursday morning when the team announced their new hirings, it was no surprise to see both of those coaches introduced. However, there was a new name to be found. Apparently, the Buccaneers have also hired Josh Grizzard to be their new pass game coordinator.
Grizzard has spent the bulk of his career working with the Miami Dolphins in different roles, including last season when he served as the team's quality control coach. It's obvious he was well-liked in Miami, as Grizzard has worked under three separate head coaches over the course of 7 seasons.
Prior to making the transition to the NFL, Grizzard's career got started in the collegiate ranks, where he was a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Yale, as well as Duke, where he served as a quality control coach.
I think it's obvious that Grizzard's NFL experience is what landed him this job though, especially when you consider the success of the Dolphins' offense in recent seasons. This was addressed in the write-up by Scott Smith for Buccaneers.com
"Last season, Grizzard contributed to a high-powered Miami offense that led the NFL in yards per game (401.3), passing yards per game (265.5) and yards per carry (5.1). The 2023 Dolphins also ranked second in yards per play (6.5), net yards per pass attempt (8.0) and points per game (29.2). As the Dolphins' wide receivers coach, Grizzard helped Jaylen Waddle rack up 104 catches for 1,015, setting a (since-broken) NFL receptions record for rookies."
The announcement also confirmed that the Buccaneers will be bringing back several coaches, including quarterbacks coach, Thad Lewis, who had received interest from other teams (in addition to the Bucs) for vacant offensive coordinator positions around the league.
"Thad Lewis, Skip Peete and John Van Dam were retained to coach the quarterbacks, running backs and tight ends, respectively. "
Based on these new hirings, in addition to those already announced, as well as the coaches that are returning, it's safe to say the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will have a wide variety of different voices, experiences, and backgrounds contributing to their coaching staff in 2024.
You can follow Collin Haalboom on Twitter.
More must-reads: