When Bucs legend Bruce Arians talks about coaching talent, it carries weight. Few in the league have Arians’ eye for identifying leadership and football intelligence. When it comes to Bucs outside linebackers coach Larry Foote, the former Super Bowl-winning head coach didn’t hesitate to make a bold projection.

Since joining Todd Bowles’ staff in Tampa Bay, Foote has become one of the more important voices in the building. He’s spent time as outside linebackers coach, inside linebackers coach, defensive passing game coordinator and then defensive run game coordinator while being the outside linebackers coach again.

Bucs OLBs coach Larry Foote and head coach Bruce Arians – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Working with the Bucs edge rushers, he’s played a role in developing young pass rushers like Yaya Diaby while maintaining a standard of physicality and accountability in the front seven. He carries many traits that could one day make him a head coach in the NFL, and Arians, who first hired him to be an assistant coach, believes he can do it.

Bruce Arians Has Great Praise For Bucs OLB Coach Larry Foote

“I don’t think there’s any doubt,” Bruce Arians said when discussing Larry Foote’s career trajectory while on the Pewter Report Podcast. “Larry’s one of the smartest guys I’ve ever coached. He was a linebacker for me in Arizona after Pittsburgh and I hired him full-time as a linebacker coach the next year.

“He didn’t need any training — he was already coaching the guys on the field all the time anyway. Bright, bright guy. If you go back up to Pittsburgh and see that Super Bowl team, there’s not anybody more respected than Larry Foote. I think (he’s) on the right path to be a head coach.”

Bucs OLBs coach Larry Foote and OLB Yaya Diaby – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

That’s high praise from a coach who has mentored countless assistants, including head coach Todd Bowles, and helped develop some of the NFL’s top coaching minds. Arians’ history with Foote dates back to even before their time together with the Cardinals, as Foote was a linebacker on the Steelers and Arians was Pittsburgh’s offensive coordinator. Foote’s leadership with the Steelers, was a key piece of multiple championship defenses.

Foote’s coaching style reflects his playing days with toughness, and a detail-oriented approach that’s rooted in fundamentals, in addition to his very high football I.Q. He has this great ability to connect with players that really continues to stand out. As Arians pointed out, those traits were evident long before Foote officially stepped into a coaching role.

During his time with the Bucs, Foote has been endearing to both players and fans for how he conducts himself on a regular basis. He’s blunt and honest at the podium during his press conferences, telling it like it is.

Foote is not afraid to speak his mind, such as saying that Devin White’s contract situation was “Champagne problems” a few years ago, and explaining that Jason Pierre-Paul got more playing time in 2021 than younger prospects because he makes more money, and even last season saying that he needs more juice from outside linebackers such as Yaya Diaby and Co. He even went as far this season to say that rookie first-round pick Reuben Bain Jr. is going to be a star in the league.

Bucs OLB Rueben Bain Jr. and OLBs coach Larry Foote – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Effort is put in all the time by Foote on the practice field. He can often be seen wearing shoulder pads in drills and going as hard as the players to get the best out of them. He even jokes that he needs to ice his joints after every practice. Foote does as much as he can for the development of the players.

As the NFL continues to search for the next wave of head coaching candidates, Foote’s name could eventually gain traction if Tampa Bay’s defense can improve this season and young pass rushers like Bain and Diaby develop into double-digit sackers. He has had plenty of coaching experience under Bowles and Arians, with strong endorsements from both men.

What Larry Foote Needs Next To Become A Head Coach

There is a bit of a road block thus far in Larry Foote’s career. Typically coaches need to work their way up the ranks and be elevated into more roles. While he is technically a co-defensive coordinator in Tampa Bay, it’s Bowles that calls the defensive plays. Foote has called plays in the preseason, but never in the regular season.

Unless things change, Foote isn’t going to be calling defensive plays for a while as long as Bowles is the head coach in Tampa Bay. It’s more likely that if he were to become a defensive play-caller, it would have to be with another team. Foote interviewed with the Lions last offseason for their defensive coordinator opening, but did not get the job.

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles and OLBs coach Larry Foote – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

There’s a possibility that if the Bucs play so well on the offensive side of the ball that Tampa Bay might decide to make Zac Robinson head coach instead of facing the prospects of losing him to a head coaching opportunity elsewhere like Dave Canales to Carolina in 2023 and Liam Coen to Jacksonville in 2024. That would mean possibly moving on from Bowles, who turns 63 this fall and could retire soon, and potentially making Foote the defensive coordinator and play-caller under Robinson for the sake of continuity.

That’s all hypothetical and speculation at the moment, but Foote does seem ready to take the next step in his career.

The path from position coach to head coach is never an easy one, but if Bruce Arians’ words are any indication, Larry Foote may not be waiting much longer for an opportunity.

Check out our entire interview with Bruce Arians on the Pewter Report Podcast from this week and subscribe to our PewterReportTV YouTube channel.