Liam Coen explains how Robert Hainsey can win a starting job at training camp

Liam Coen is less than a few months into his job as Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator, but already he has a massive decision looming in the not-so-distant future.

For the last two seasons, Tampa Bay's offensive line has been a total disaster and a major liability. It's not just lack of protection that has clipped the team's wings -- with Tom Brady getting hounded in his last season in the league -- but it's hampered the run game as well.

Say what you will about whether or not Rachaad White has what it takes to be the guy to the Bucs' lead back, but he's been done no favors by how his line has played. It's a problem that goes back to 2022 when Leonard Fournette and White combined to create one of the worst rushing attacks in the league, something that didn't improve a year later.

Injuries played a major role in how bad the line has been, but last year was a clear sign that something needs to change. The Bucs went out and used a first round pick on Graham Barton to try and usher in a new era, but Coen isn't ready to close the book on the guy who currently has the job.

Will Robert Hainsey beat Graham Barton for Buccaneers starting center job?

Coen was recently a guest on The Sick Podcast — Pirate Parlay and dove into how he's approaching the first big decision he'll have to make as offensive coordinator. Barton seems to be the favorite to win the job, but Coen reminded everyone that it's still a race between two players and Robert Hainsey shouldn't be counted out.

“Graham will have to minimize just kind of the snafus in order for him to be able to win that job,” Coen said. “And Hainsey has to continue to play at a consistently high level for him to win that job. It’s definitely something that we have to move through," Coen explained.

Barton being prone to rookie mistakes comes with the territory, but it absolutely should be a strike against him if he's going to develop into Tampa Bay's center of the future. This isn't about simply getting new blood in, it's about truly improving the line in a meaningful way so that the offense takes a step forward this season.

That's the expectation for the team as a whole. The Bucs out-performed expectations by quite a wide margin last season, but that has only raised the stakes this year. Hainsey is in a contract year and has all the incentive in the world to not only win the starting center role but earn a future contract based on how well he plays.

Training camp will be huge in letting us know how far along Barton is, but it's also a perfect opportunity for Hainsey to continue the revenge narrative the team started last year and prove his doubters wrong.

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