Buccaneers OC Dave Canales already being named as a head coach candidate

At 3-1, the Buccaneers are sitting atop the NFC South heading into their early bye week. Much of the early success has been the play of the defense as well as veteran quarterback Baker Mayfield in the new look Tampa Bay offense. Although the offense still isn’t firing on all cylinders — which is a scary thought for opponents to consider, the success thus far can be attributed to the man responsible for putting it together.

Offensive coordinator Dave Canales.

In just his first season as a play caller in the NFL, Canales has so far resurrected Mayfield’s career and silenced the critics who doubted any offensive production in the post-Tom Brady era. And because of that success, Canales’ name is now being tied to potential head coaching jobs in the near future. This just after four games.

In a piece by Pro Football Focus looking at new head coaches for the Chicago Bears, PFF ranks Canales as the sixth-best option for the Bears.

We’re very early into Canales’ tenure with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but another quarterback resurgence is underway with yet another offensive line that has injuries or question marks at every spot but left tackle. Canales took over an offense that ranked dead last in play-action rate in 2022 and currently leads the NFL in play-action rate through Week 4, scoring 26 points in Week 4 against a New Orleans Saints defense that hadn’t allowed a team to post more than 20 points in 11 consecutive outings...

...Canales has completely transformed the offense with a new quarterback in one offseason and will be an interesting name to monitor over the rest of the year.

PFF intelligently noted how early we are in Canales’ tenure with the Bucs as an offensive coordinator. Anything can happen and all of a sudden Canales becomes an after thought including here in Tampa Bay.

However, the arrow continues to trend upwards for the young play caller and there doesn’t appear to be a downward trend on the horizon anytime soon. It is fair to say, though, as the Buccaneers’ offensive success continues, Canales’ name will continue to be thrown around much more.