Five Potential Bucs QB/OC Duos In 2023

Reich is a popular name for head coach and offensive coordinator openings in the coaching cycle. He has interviewed for the Arizona Cardinals and is expected to do the same with the Carolina Panthers for their respective head coaching positions. With ten offensive coordinator openings across the league (including the Bucs), if he wants a job, he is certain to be offered one somewhere.

If the Bucs become a front-runner for Reich, the team may sign Jacoby Brissett as a veteran option at quarterback. Brissett spent most of 2022 starting for the Cleveland Browns while Deshaun Watson was suspended.

Brissett does not wow as a starter, as in the three seasons he has started most of his team’s games (2017, 2019, and 2022), he failed to eclipse 20 touchdown passes. He would fill the role of a game manager, as he is smart with the football and has only 23 interceptions in 48 starts (18-30 record).

Brissett’s experience in Reich’s system and across the league is worth keeping tabs on. In 2019, Zac Keefer of The Athletic did a great write-up of Brissett and the challenges he faced replacing Andrew Luck after his retirement (subscription required). He could do the same by filling the shoes of “Tom Terrific.”

 49ers Offensive Passing Game Coordinator Bobby Slowik And Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo

Slowik is a young option for the Bucs, as he is only 35 years old. Despite this, he has been in the league for over a decade. He has been in San Francisco since 2017 under head coach Kyle Shanahan. Taking someone who has been one of Shanahan’s confidants could be a bold step in changing offensive concepts. This season, the 49ers have shown they can excel regardless of who is under center. The Bucs got a taste of this when they were dealt a 35-7 loss in Week 14 in Brock Purdy’s first career NFL start.

Thanks to the system the 49ers operate, the quarterback can make smart reads and easily get the ball into their playmakers’ hands. With Purdy locked in as the starter in 2023 and 2021 first-round pick Trey Lance still on his rookie deal, they are likely to part with veteran Jimmy Garoppolo.

Garoppolo is a former understudy of Brady’s from 2014-2016 and was rumored to be an option to come to Tampa Bay after Brady’s brief retirement last season. Replacing him this time around would keep the team in the running for the NFC South division title next year.

Simply put, he knows how to win, and it is not a stretch to say he is a top-15 or top-20 quarterback. He would be more pricey than Minshew or Brissett, but he comes with more upside.

Wes Welker is also an interesting tie to Slowik (and Brady) if he were to return. Welker currently serves as the receivers coach for the Miami Dolphins and had the same role with the 49ers in 2019-2021. Of course, he also has a history with Brady as one of his favorite receivers from his time in New England. With the Bucs firing Kevin Garver, Slowik could put in a good word for Welker, and Tampa Bay would surely do anything to appease Brady. Definitely worth keeping an eye on.

Former Colorado Buffaloes Head Coach Karl Dorrell And Quarterback Geno Smith

If the Bucs want to give Todd Bowles free rein in bringing in former assistants from his time with the New York Jets, Dorrell is an interesting name to consider for all the dots it would connect. Dorrell was the Jets’ receivers coach from 2015-2018. 2015 and 2016 were also seasons in which quarterback Geno Smith overlapped with both Dorrell and Bowles.