Tampa expands its OC search with an 8th candidate.
There seems to be a noticeable trend emerging from the Bucs’ ongoing offensive coordinator hunt. The team will interview the third quarterbacks coach of the cycle, as Seattle Seahawks QB coach Dave Canales will get his chance, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
#Bucs interviewing Seahawks QBs coach Dave Canales for the OC job, per source. Canales had a second interview with the Ravens this week, now set to meet with Tampa
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) February 8, 2023
Canales joins Dan Pitcher from Cincinnati and Shea Tierney from the New York Giants as other QB coaches aiming for control of Tampa Bay’s offense. It’s certainly an eyebrow-raising focus for the Bucs, who currently don’t have a clear-cut starter at the game’s most important position.
Kyle Trask does technically qualify as a young QB, as the 25-year-old may finally get his chance at significant snaps in a regular season game entering his third year. However, the team could be looking ahead toward the NFL Draft and a potential significant investment with one of their high picks.
That said, Canales may be a strong pick for a QB of any age or pedigree.
The 41-year-old has spent his entire NFL career with Seattle since Pete Carroll arrived in 2010, but he only recently gained a major role with the team as QBs coach and passing game coordinator. Since 2018, he helped Russell Wilson to achieve career-best production, and he oversaw Geno Smith’s renaissance this past season as one of the league’s best passers. With Canales’s oversight, Smith led the NFL in completion percentage, threw 30 touchdown passes, and earned his first career Pro Bowl nomination.
Like Pitcher and Tierney, Canales has never called plays at the professional level but that doesn’t seem to be much of a discouraging factor in Tampa’s search. In fact, others who’ve interviewed and don’t have playcalling experience include Saints passing game coordinator Ronald Curry and Vikings receivers coach Keenan McCardell.
The most qualified candidates in terms of experience remain George OC Todd Monken and Jaguars passing game coordinator Jim Bob Cooter. We’ll see if the team explores further discussions with either of those two, but right now it seems that Jason Licht and Todd Bowles are more inclined to explore younger coaches with possibly fresh ideas and recent success with signal caller development.