Buccaneers complete initial OC interviews with current Rams staffers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking for treasure in their next offensive coordinator hire as former OC Liam Coen took off to become the next head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars after a tumultuous series of events that unfolded over two days.

While the Bucs could sit back and lick their wounds from what transpired with Coen this past week, they refuse to do so, as life moves on. Tampa Bay has already been a full-go at trying to identify their next offensive coordinator to pair with Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Bucky Irving and Rachaad White.

As of Monday evening, the Buccaneers have been doing their due diligence and just concluded initial interviews with a pair of Los Angeles Rams' staffers who our lead writer and editor, River Wells, had in his top-five candidates list to replace Coen — tight end/pass game coordinator Nick Caley and offensive assistant/pass game specialist Nate Scheelhaase.

Both coaches hail from the Sean McVay tree much like Liam Coen, so the transition wouldn't be as difficult hiring either Scheelhaase or Caley as they both understand the jargon and way plays are called that helped elevate the Buccaneers' offense under Coen in 2024. Both don't have coordinator experience, but they have been integral in helping the Rams maintain their success within a complicated system.

Caley entered the coaching profession back in 2005 as a student assistant at his alma mater John Carroll before quickly being identified as a good coach, working his way through the collegiate level until 2015 when he joined the New England Patriots as an offensive assistant. Since entering the NFL, Caley has spent time in a multitude of roles for the Patriots before joining the Rams as the tight ends coach in 2023 where he has been since.

Scheelhaase, much like Caley, began in the college ranks with the Illinois Fighting Illini until he made his way to Iowa State where he had a finger in helping develop the likes of David Montgomery, Breece Hall, Xavier Hutchinson, Brock Purdy and Rocco Becht before leaving the program to join the Rams in 2023. Since then, Scheelhaase has been tasked with drawing out the plays for the Rams, something that has led to successful coaches throughout the NFL including Liam Coen, Shane Waldron, Zac Taylor and Zac Robinson.

The Buccaneers could be scrambling to find an offensive coordinator but they are doing the work to make sure they get the right guy and the right fit for what head coach Todd Bowles and the organization think is best for this team. The OC job in Tampa is a highly coveted one, as their past two offensive coordinators have gotten head coaching jobs following their one-season here, so it is likely that the opening is one of the most sought-after in the entire league especially given the amount of weapons the hire will have to work with.