The disastrous turnaround for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers seems almost impossible to fathom. Starting the season 3-0 and 6-2, they looked poised for a potentially deep playoff run as the clear-cut best team in the NFC South. However, the second half of the year was a brutal change in fortunes for them.
Falling to a sub-500 record, they lost out on the divisional race to the Carolina Panthers. As a result, some changes are coming on the sidelines for the franchise, especially after firing offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard. A new name will soon be joining the squad in hopes of bringing about a revolution, and running back Rachaad White has a name he’d like to see join the group.
Rachaad White has a Unique OC Preference for the Buccaneers
Starting his career as a third-round pick in 2022, White emerged as the starter on the squad for the 2022 and 2023 seasons. But the ascent of Bucky Irving in 2024 saw his role significantly deteriorate as the former emerged as the lead ball carrier for the Buccaneers.
This year, though, injuries were the story for Tampa Bay, as they failed to find continuity on either side of the football. Still, the offense, which ranked as the third-best unit on PFSN’s NFL Offense Impact Metric, fell all the way down to 21st.
Arguably, the biggest change to affect that downfall was transitioning from Liam Coen to Grizzard. But now that another change is in the works, with names like Mike Kafka already being interviewed for the role, White put forward his choice for the position.
Speaking on the Loose Cannons Podcast, he put forward Mike McDaniel as his best choice. But given his transition to the head coaching ranks, the alternative White had in mind was Zac Robinson with the Atlanta Falcons.
“I ain’t think Robinson was bad, man. I thought he got Bijan [Robinson] the ball in the right spots.” With the Falcons also splitting ball carrier duties between Robinson and Allgeier, White believed the recently fired OC could have a similar impact for the Buccaneers, especially with a better quarterback in Baker Mayfield.
“I think Baker is obviously better than them,” he said, referring to Michael Penix and Kirk Cousins, who handled almost all of the snaps under center for Atlanta. Beyond Robinson, though, there was another name White was ready to consider.
“I’m not knocking [Todd] Monken; he’d probably be my second choice. I really like Monken because I hear he got that dawg in him, that fire in him.” Still with the Baltimore Ravens, Monken’s future with the organization remains uncertain after they fired John Harbaugh.
But, as he gets ready for an interview with the Buccaneers, it’s clear that there is still widespread interest in his services. Having a history with Mayfield and the Bucs organization, he could be a smart choice for the team to go after.
