Jay Gruden Criticizes Previous Buccaneers Offense Under Dave Canales

The current Carolina Panthers head coach did some good things for Tampa Bay last year, but just how important was he?

Jul 30, 2023; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales during training camp at AdventHealth Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports / Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales did some good work with the Buccaneers, and it landed him a head coaching job with the Carolina Panthers. But were his contributions to Tampa Bay last year a bit overstated?

Jay Gruden — brother of Jon Gruden, who led the Bucs to their first Super Bowl — is a part of the Clean Pocket podcast with former NFL quarterback Colt McCoy, and both of them (along with AQ Shipley and Justin Pugh) discussed the NFC South, which they agreed was the worst division in football. During the podcast, McCoy brought up Dave Canales, who he said did a good job with the Buccaneers last year.

"Canales did a great job of creating matchups," McCoy said on the podcast. "Baker knew where to go with the ball, 'That's No. 1.' Now sometimes, that guy's not there, but they created matchups."

Gruden wasn't having it, however.

"“[The Buccaneers] were 23rd in offense, Colt. Let’s not overexaggerate how great Canales was," Gruden said. "They were 23rd in offense."

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That much is true — the Buccaneers were indeed 23rd in total offense, putting up 313.0 yards per game in 2023. And while Canales has often been praised for his play design and the Buccaneers were able to reap those benefits, his playcalling often came into question, with the first-year offensive coordinator occasionally committing to concepts that weren't working far too long into games.

That being said, Canales did get a head coaching job with the Carolina Panthers, as McCoy rightfully pointed out after. He'll look to be replaced by Liam Coen, who comes to Tampa Bay after two stints with the Kentucky Wildcats broken up by a role on Sean McVay's Los Angeles Rams staff in 2022.

Gruden also had some thoughts about Coen, who will be calling offensive plays in the NFL for the first time in 2024.

"I'm a little worried about Liam [Coen]," Gruden said on the podcast. "Coming back to Kentucky from the Rams, back to Kentucky, back to the Rams, Back to Kentucky, now he's here — he's got to do a better job of getting these guys open."

Coen is installing his offense with the Buccaneers, and they'll make sure it's ready before the start of the season when training camp begins this Wednesday for the Buccaneers.

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