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Liam Coen

Bucs OC looks like head coach material

If I were looking to hire a coach, I’d be interested in talking to Liam Coen. He did very awfully impressive work in Tampa Bay.

The Bucs don’t have a franchise-type quarterback along the lines of Mahomes, Allen, Burrow or Jackson; they’re working instead with Baker Mayfield. And at wide receiver, they feature 31-year-old Mike Evans, along with third-rounder Jalen McMillan (replacing Chris Godwin for the second half of the season).

At running back, the Bucs didn’t have a proven top-level producer, instead relying on a combination of Rachaad White and rookie Bucky Irving. No complaints about the offensive line, which includes a franchise left tackle (Tristian Wirfs), three young draft picks who have hit, and a free-agent plug-in at guard.

But Coen helped string it all together. He got 41 touchdown passes out of Mayfield, and McMillan closed the season by catching touchdowns in five straight games. Irving was the most productive of the rookie runners. Tampa Bay was the only team that ranked in the top 5 in both rushing and passing.

It was his work with the running game that was the most impressive. The Bucs in recent years haven’t been able to run the ball, ranking dead last in rushing in the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Under Coen, the Bucs zoomed up to 4th in rushing, coming in behind only three teams that were helped along by running quarterbacks (Ravens, Eagles, Commanders).

RUSHING YARDS PER GAME (last 4 yrs)
2024202320222021
188 Baltimore157 Baltimore177 Chicago160 Philadelphia
179 Philadelphia141 Chicago160 Baltimore149 Indianapolis
154 Washington141 San Francisco160 Atlanta146 Baltimore
149 Tampa Bay139 Arizona148 NY Giants145 Cleveland
147 Green Bay136 Detroit148 Philadelphia141 Tennessee
146 Detroit136 Miami146 Cleveland130 Buffalo
144 Arizona130 Buffalo140 Buffalo127 San Francisco
137 Indianapolis129 Philadelphia139 San Francisco127 New England
131 Buffalo127 Atlanta135 Dallas125 Dallas
131 Atlanta121 Indianapolis130 Carolina122 Arizona
127 Pittsburgh120 LA Rams128 Detroit122 Seattle
127 San Francisco119 Cleveland126 Washington121 Washington
116 New England118 Pittsburgh125 Tennessee119 Denver
115 New Orleans113 Dallas124 Jacksonville119 Chicago
112 Houston112 Green Bay124 Green Bay117 New Orleans
112 Denver110 NY Giants122 Pittsburgh115 Kansas City
111 LA Chargers109 Tennessee121 Las Vegas114 Minnesota
110 Carolina106 Denver120 Seattle112 Green Bay
109 Tennessee105 Kansas City117 New Orleans111 Detroit
109 Minnesota104 Carolina116 Kansas City108 Carolina
106 Miami102 New Orleans114 Denver108 LA Chargers
105 Kansas City97 NY Jets110 Arizona103 Jacksonville
105 NY Giants97 Houston110 Indianapolis102 Cincinnati
104 LA Rams97 Jacksonville107 New England99 NY Giants
102 Chicago97 LA Chargers99 Miami99 LA Rams
102 Jacksonville96 New England99 NY Jets98 Tampa Bay
100 Dallas94 Washington98 LA Rams98 NY Jets
96 Seattle93 Seattle98 Minnesota95 Las Vegas
95 Cleveland91 Minnesota96 Cincinnati93 Pittsburgh
93 Cincinnati91 Las Vegas90 LA Chargers92 Miami
92 NY Jets90 Cincinnati87 Houston85 Atlanta
80 Las Vegas89 Tampa Bay77 Tampa Bay84 Houston

Coen also put together successful ground games in both of his one-year stints at Kentucky.

Coen is light on experience. He spent four years as an assistant under Sean McVay, and he was with Kentucky as an offensive coordinator in 2021 and 2023. I don’t know if he has the overall organizational and leadership abilities that teams are looking for. Some coaches are best suited to be coordinators.

But Coen has been successful enough that he’s definitely a guy everybody should be wanting to bring in for interviews. Ben Johnson is the hottest candidate of this hiring cycle, but I’m not sure that Johnson’s work with the Lions has been any more impressive than what Coen has done with the Bucs.

—Ian Allan

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