The Buccaneers made their hiring of Dave Canales as offensive coordinator official Thursday.
Canales is leaving Seattle after 13 season on Pete Carroll’s staff, most recently serving as quarterbacks coach. He was instrumental in Geno Smith’s breakout season, with the quarterback earning the league’s comeback player of the year award and Pro Bowl honors for the first time.
“We are excited to announce Dave Canales as our new offensive coordinator,” Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said in a statement. “I want to thank the various candidates that we interviewed throughout this very thorough process. Dave has done a great job in a variety of roles with Seattle the past 13 years and he brings a passion for coaching and an energy level that players just seem to respond to. He has played a significant part in the development and growth of many Seahawks players who have contributed to their offensive success over the past decade, and I look forward to seeing what he will do with our players on offense. The more we talked, the more it became apparent that we are very similar in how we approach the game, and I am confident that he will find a way to maximize our strengths on offense.”
Canales replaces Byron Leftwich, who had spent the previous four seasons as the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator. Tampa Bay’s offense led the NFL in scoring and passing yards over the 2020-21 seasons before falling to 15th in total yards and 25th in scoring in 2022.
The Bucs interviewed 10 candidates in their search for an offensive coordinator.
Now that the Bucs have an offensive coordinator, the next obvious question is: Who will play quarterback for the team in 2023 after Tom Brady announced his retirement?