Buccaneers
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield said he was happy for his former OC Liam Coen after admitting that he was slightly put off by the way he handled the situation.
“I left him on read just like he left me on read for a little bit. I made him beg,” Mayfield said, via ESPN. “Obviously, people have their thoughts on how it went down, and I understand the emotional aspect of it, but I’m happy for Liam. We all had a few choice words for him before we actually told him we were happy for him. I can’t be mad at that — as much as I would want to have him still here.”
Mayfield will be entering his eighth season in the NFL with his ninth offensive coordinator. He’s happy that the team promoted from within and there will be continuity.
“I mean for me, it was, ‘How can we make it somewhat — that continuity is safe with the guys?’” Mayfield said, who was involved in this year’s search. “‘How can we make sure that we’re actually taking a step forward and not a step back, having to restart again?’ Every season’s different, but having the continuity within the same system and keeping a lot of the same pieces is really, really important.”
New Bucs OC Josh Grizzard was involved with scheming up third-down plays for the team. He’ll put his spin on the new offense but there won’t be a ton of variation.
“That’s getting everybody on the same page,” Mayfield said. “And Grizz was our third-down guy and he was a huge part of those installations and what we were trying to do on third downs. … That’s why I’m excited. He’s a guy that didn’t get a lot of credit behind the scenes last year, but he’ll be at the forefront of it.”
- The Bucs are hiring Kefense Hynson as their pass game coordinator. (Tom Pelissero)
Panthers
Panthers GM Dan Morgan was asked what type of players he is looking to add this offseason.
“We’re gonna look to bring passionate football players, first of all. And then we’re gonna look for playmakers on both sides of the ball,” Morgan said. “So, defensive side—guys that can take the ball away, guys that can affect the quarterback. And on the offensive side, guys that can make plays—whether receiver, tight end. Guys that can just make big plays. We were kinda missing that element on both sides of the ball this past year. So we’ll attack that. And I think on the defensive side, on our front, we gotta get a little stronger there so we’re able to stop the run. We’re just gonna look to get better in every avenue. In every position, we’re just gonna try to get stronger and create the most competition that we can.”
- Mike Kaye reports that the Panthers are hiring former Rams and Cardinals DB Kevin Peterson as a defensive assistant.
Saints
Eagles OC Kellen Moore is considered the Saints’ top head coach candidate. When asked what traits a head coach should possess, Moore said they need leadership and to be an expert communicator.
“I think it’s a leadership role. You got to lead the group. You’ve got to be an expert in what you’re teaching and communicate,” said Moore, via The Athletic.
Moore said he would still call offensive plays as a head coach.
“It’s something that has gotten me to this place and so certainly you’d hate to stop doing what you love and as you go through this journey,” Moore said.
Moore was reminded that he played against Saints QB Derek Carr when he was a senior at Boise State and Carr was a sophomore at Fresno State. Moore said he has a lot of respect for Carr.
“Derek and I played against each other one year, my senior year, his sophomore year,” Moore said. “Yeah, we certainly have known Derek for a long time, tons of respect for him as a quarterback in this league. He’s had a tremendous career and a lot of really good things.”
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