Remember when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Baker Mayfield to a one-year, prove-it deal prior to the 2023 season and most people weren't quite sure about what this team would be?
Remember when Mayfield went on to have a career year, not only leading the Buccaneers to the playoffs but also a dominating postseason win over the Philadelphia Eagles?
All of that happened in Year 1. All of it also happened under former offensive coordinator Dave Canales, who went on to become head coach of the Carolina Panthers. Now, the Bucs have Liam Coen running the offense and, one person with some inside knowledge believes the team is even better off without Canales going into Year 2 of the Baker Mayfield experience.
Just how much better do things look this year as opposed to last? According to Jeff Howe of the New York Times, there is a noticeable difference:
"By the first week of training camp, the consensus opinion in the building is the Bucs already had more team chemistry than the 2023 team that won a playoff game. It also sounds like coordinator Liam Coen’s offense is ahead of pace from last year’s group under Canales. And remember, Canales turned last season’s performance into a head coaching job."
Canales was, of course, only there as the Bucs' offensive coordinator for one season. Having a successful year was great for he and the Bucs, but ditching the team after only a single season -- and for a division rival -- was certainly an interesting decision.
Having a long road ahead for a Carolina team that's been in shambles, Canales has his work cut out for him. Meanwhile, Coen is ready to get this thing off and running, quickly.
Liam Coen's offense should take Baker Mayfield to new heights
Seeing Mayfield reach a career year last season was fun. It was well-deserved for a guy whom many had given up on. Now, Coen's scheme should allow him to take it up a notch.
Coen is a big believer in multiple schemes as to keep NFL defenses on their feet. But, something he's going to try and help Mayfield with is allowing the offensive line to be in better position for success. That comes with using more bunch formations and 3-wide sets. That means a young playmaker like Jalen McMillan could have more chances at making an impact than he would have in a different offense.
It also comes with running many different types of motion, which Coen is going to do plenty. Continuing to keep defenses guessing and allowing your playmakers to get open in a diverse set of ways is going to help the offensive line in a huge way, because defenses are going to have to keep up with all of the motion first and foremost.
They'll have to figure out how to defend those bunch sets, moving a good chunk of the second and third levels to one side and allowing Mayfield to potentially have more room on the other side.
It would come as no surprise for Mayfield to set new career highs once again in 2024, under Coen. This team has even more weapons and a more diverse, creative offense than even last year. Look out for big things from Baker this season. They're coming.