Buccaneers’ Head Coach Lauds OC Josh Grizzard’s Start

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are utilizing the preseason to assess not only player talent but also how new offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard navigates his expanded role, providing valuable insight into his strategic approach and leadership.

The Buccaneers are giving Grizzard hands-on experience managing a rotation of quarterbacks and depth players, requiring him to adapt to new scenarios each week and test his ability to adjust game plans on the fly.

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Todd Bowles, commends Grizzard for navigating challenges effectively, highlighting the diverse range of situations he’s tackled as coordinator. This setup all ows the Buccaneers to observe how Grizzard adapts to game flow while juggling player development and situational decision-making.

“That’s hard because the first unit hasn’t been out there a long time.” Bowles stated. “As far as who’s in the game and how he manages them – obviously we got a rookie quarterback that we got to manage as well… The play calling is a little different. Each situation in each game has been different for him. Tennessee, we hadn’t had to go into those things; Pittsburgh, we had to go into two-minute, four-minute, whatever you may call it. The situations are different for him and he’s handling it different ways, but he’s been fine.”

Grizzard has been coaching from the sidelines during games so far, but that could change soon. The Buccaneers’ coaching staff is considering having him call plays from the booth in the preseason finale against Buffalo, which would give him a different perspective.

“We discussed it and we’re still debating on it.” Bowles added. “I think he might like it down there, but he hasn’t made a decision yet.”

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This preseason is a chance for Grizzard to build confidence in his role and develop his ability to adapt on the fly. According to Bowles, assistant coaches, like players, benefit from live experience, which is exactly what Grizzard is getting.

Grizzard inherits a talented offense as Tampa Bay’s new coordinator, taking over for Liam Coen. He’ll work with an intact unit featuring 11 returning starters, including key players like quarterback Baker Mayfield , wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, and offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs, all of whom have earned Pro Bowl or All-Pro recognition.

With one preseason game left, the Buccaneers will get another glimpse of Grizzard’s offense management. Whether he calls plays from the sideline or the booth, his play-calling and in-game adjustments will continue to be scrutinized as Tampa Bay fine-tunes its Week 1 preparations.