Buccaneers make in-house hire for new OC after Liam Coen bolts to Jaguars

After losing Liam Coen to the Jacksonville Jaguars in an awkward, well-chronicled fashion, the Tampa Bay Buccanneers have addressed their abrupt offensive coordinator vacancy internally.

Per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, the Buccaneers are promoting Josh Grizzard from pass-game coordinator to offensive coordinator following Coen's departure to Jacksonville.

After an impressive inaugural campaign in Tampa Bay, Grizzard ostensibly earned the trust of his peers, specifically head coach Todd Bowles. As the Buccaneers aim to "keep continuity," the 34-year-old will assume the play-calling responsibilities previously held by Coen.

Buccaneers promote Josh Grizzard to fill OC position after Liam Coen leaves for Jaguars

Not even a handful of days after the Jaguars introduced Coen as their eighth head coach in franchise history, the Bucs replaced him with Grizzard. Bowles and Co. worked swiftly to put the debacle surrounding the former behind them and are moving forward with the latter.

While Grizzard hasn't been with the Bucs long, Garafolo reports he's "highly regarded in the building." Tampa Bay's official team website recognizes his efforts "contributed to" quarterback Baker Mayfield's Pro Bowl and career-best performance in 2024. Suddenly, the two will work together closer than ever and look to continue building on their already-established rapport.

Mayfield set new personal benchmarks across the board, including yards (4,500), touchdowns (41), completion percentage (71.4), yards per attempt (7.9) and passer rating (106.8). Moreover, with Grizzard serving as a top deputy to Coen, Tampa Bay finished fourth in the league in scoring this season.

Notably and incredibly, Grizzard has 13 years of prior coaching experience despite his age. He's spent eight seasons in the NFL, seven of which came with the Miami Dolphins in various roles from 2017-23.

Grizzard has stops in the collegiate ranks at Duke and Yale. He was the Blue Devils' graduate assistant/quality control coach from 2013-16. For whatever it's worth, his stint in Durham briefly overlapped with 2019 No. 6 overall draft pick and eventual draft bust Daniel Jones.

Nonetheless, Grizzard is the latest offseason hire in a wave of coaching youth at the pro level. And based on his predecessors' track records, it might not be long before he skips town to become a sideline general.