TAMPA, Fla. — After one season as an offensive coordinator with Tampa Bay, Dave Canales is now calling the shots in Carolina as its new head coach.
Canales will attempt to do what Frank Reich and Matt Rhule could not do before him: turn around the struggling Panthers.
The NFL’s worst team agreed to terms with Canales Thursday night in hopes he will snap a six-year playoff drought.
As for the Buccaneers, they find themselves in the same position as last year – hiring a new offensive coordinator.
Tampa Bay has reportedly had talks with the following people:
- Brian Johnson
- Antwaan Randle El
- Alex Van Pelt
Let's take a deeper dive into who they are and what they can bring to the locker room.
Brian Johnson
Johnson served as the Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator this past season. He is being considered for the job by Tampa Bay. However, other teams have also been looking at him.
According to CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones, Johnson is planning to have an interview with the Bucs after already talking to the Cleveland Browns.
The 36-year-old helped Jalen Hurts and the Eagles rank seventh in points scored and eighth in total yards last season. He faced scrutiny due to the offensive inconsistencies, especially towards the end of the year. The team scored less than 20 points in five of their last seven games – including the 32-9 playoff loss against the Bucs.
Antwaan Randle El
Detroit Lions wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El interviewed for the job virtually on Friday, the team said.
If hired, it won't be Randle El's first gig in Tampa Bay. He served as an offensive assistant under former Bucs head coach Bruce Arians' staff in 2019 and 2020, helping the team win Super Bowl LV.
After that, he joined Detroit in 2021 as the wide receivers coach, helping to elevate the performance of Amon-Ra St. Brown.
He also led the wide receiver corps to finish top 10 in receptions, receiving yards, receiving first downs, receiving touchdowns, receptions of over 25 yards and yards after catch in 2022.
Alex Van Pelt
The Bucs interviewed former Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt at the team's headquarters on Monday, the team confirmed.
Van Pelt has been with the Browns in that position for the last four seasons, including one in which he worked with current Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Last year with Cleveland, the 53-year-old led the offense in finishing as the 10th highest-scoring team, averaging 23.3 points per game. The team would go on to win 11 games and make the postseason despite having five different starting quarterbacks. The Browns also ranked 16th in total yards per game last season.
If hired, this will be Van Pelt's second stint in Tampa Bay. In 2010 and 2011, he was the quarterbacks coach under Raheem Morris, who was the head coach at the time.
Other person to keep an eye on
Although it has not been reported, another person fans should look out for is Bucs quarterbacks coach Thad Lewis.
He is the most favorite internal candidate to both get an interview and the job of offensive coordinator.
He was promoted to the role in 2022 and has worked alongside Tom Brady and Mayfield.
Before that, he served as the team's assistant wide receivers coach in 2020 and 2021 after being hired by Arians.
Lewis and Canales were instrumental in Mayfield having the best season of his NFL career thus far.
The 36-year-old is also getting attention from another team. According to Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud, the Las Vegas Raiders requested an interview with Lewis for their offensive coordinator position.
This story will be updated as the team announces its interviews conducted or a hiring has been announced.