Buccaneers hire Jaguars assistant DL coach Paul Spicer for same role

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are hiring Jacksonville Jaguars assistant defensive line coach Paul Spicer for the same position.

Former Jacksonville Jaguars assistant defensive line coach Paul Spicer is joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the same role according to a source.

The move reunites Spicer with Tampa Bay defensive line coach Joe Cullen. The two coached together in the same respective roles at Jacksonville in 2012.

Spicer, 39, was defensive line coach at Jackson State for six months last year before resigning in July because of a family matter. He replaces former Buccaneers assistant defensive line coach Mike Phair, who left last month to become Illinois’ co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach.

Spicer was Jacksonville’s assistant defensive line coach from 2012-13 after being an intern for the team for a season. He also had a brief stint as assistant defensive line coach at Bartram Trail High School in St. Johns, Florida.

An undrafted free agent, Spicer played defensive end in the NFL for 11 seasons, primarily with the Jaguars, racking up 28.5 career sacks. He was a member of the 2009 New Orleans Saints’ Super Bowl-winning team his last season and officially retired in Feb. 2011.

An Indianapolis native, he played collegiately at College of DuPage and Saginaw Valley State University. Tampa Bay had a 2-14 record last season in coach Lovie Smith’s inaugural campaign this past season and have the first pick in this spring’s NFL Draft.

The Buccaneers had 36 sacks last season, which ranked in the league’s bottom half, despite a team-high eight from Pro Bowl defensive tackle Gerald McCoy.