The Bucs’ offensive coordinator search continued Tuesday morning, as the team announced it completed a virtual interview with Rams quarterbacks coach Dave Ragone.

Rams QBs coach Dave Ragone – Photo by: USA Today

Ragone coached quarterbacks in Los Angeles in 2024 on Sean McVay’s staff after spending three seasons as the Falcons’ offensive coordinator under Arthur Smith. When Smith was fired after the 2023 season, Ragone was not retained by new head coach Raheem Morris.

Prior to his stint in Atlanta, Ragone spent four years in Chicago, one in Washington and three in Tennessee. Over the course of his coaching career, he has coached both quarterbacks and wide receivers. He was a quarterback himself, playing at Louisville before being drafted by the Texans as a third-round pick in 2003.

Ragone was the Bucs’ fifth interview for their offensive coordinator job, which was left vacant after Liam Coen opted not to return on a new contract and instead became the new head coach of the Jaguars.

Ragone joins Chargers pass game coordinator Marcus Brady, Vikings assistant offensive coordinator/assistant quarterbacks coach Grant Udinski, Rams offensive assistant/pass game specialist Nate Scheelhaase and Rams tight ends coach/pass game coordinator Nick Caley as candidates who have interviewed with Tampa Bay thus far.

Bucs Are Piling Up Candidates From Sean McVay’s Coaching Staff

Rams head coach Sean McVay – Photo by: USA Today

Dave Ragone is the third Rams assistant who has been interviewed for the Bucs’ offensive coordinator position, and it’s not hard to see why.

The Sean McVay coaching tree has proved fruitful for plenty of teams throughout the NFL over the years, including the Bucs. Remember, Liam Coen came from Kentucky but had previously spent time in Los Angeles as part of McVay’s staff. He helped engineer Tampa Bay’s top-five offense in 2024 before becoming the head coach in Jacksonville.

The McVay tree has also produced Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor and Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, among others.

Bucs OC Dave Canales – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Former Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron was also influenced by his time with the Rams under McVay, and that influence contributed to Dave Canales’ rise. Canales and Waldron overlapped in Seattle, then Canales became the Bucs’ offensive coordinator in 2023 before taking the Panthers’ head coaching job in 2024.

Ragone joins Scheelhaase and Caley as the Los Angeles assistants who have been interviewed by Tampa Bay this time around.

Bucs GM Jason Licht and HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

While general manager Jason Licht, head coach Todd Bowles and the Bucs cast a wide net for their offensive coordinator searches in 2023 and 2024, it seems that this time around, they’re heavily targeting a certain type of coordinator.

Of course, that could have to do with the fact that this will be the team’s fourth offensive coordinator in four seasons and the team knows what it’s looking for. But it’s also due to the success the Bucs have had under these young coordinators with influences from the McVay system.

The Bucs are also looking at some pretty young coaches for their open coordinator position. Udinski and Scheelhaase are the youngest candidates so far at 28 and 34 years old, respectively, while Caley is 42 and both Brady and Ragone are 45.