Finally, the Bucs are losing assistant coaches to the Jaguars. It just isn’t the assistants we originally thought were headed northeast. According to The Athletic’s Greg Auman, Bucs inside linebackers coach Mike Caldwell is joining the Jaguars as head coach Doug Pederson’s defensive coordinator. Caldwell will bring Bucs defensive and special teams assistant Cody Grimm with him to be Jacksonville’s safeties coach. Grimm has spent the past three years in Tampa Bay.

Caldwell joined Bruce Arians staff back in Arizona in 2013 and was the Cardinals inside linebackers coach for two seasons. When Arizona defensive coordinator Todd Bowles became the head coach with the Jets, Bowles took Caldwell to New York. He coached linebackers and was his assistant head coach from 2015-18. When Bowles was fired after the 2018 season, Caldwell and Bowles reunited with Arians in Tampa Bay in 2019 and he resumed his duties as Arians’ inside linebackers coach.

Impact of Caldwell’s Loss On Bucs

The loss of Caldwell will be interesting to monitor. The Bucs return Lavonte David and Devin White as starters in 2022, so the position should be stable. But, after a disappointing 2021 season for White, is it possible that a new voice could help him take the next step? White has immense talent, but has been plagued by consistently undisciplined and reckless play for three years now. Caldwell is probably an excellent coach. But a new voice in the meeting room could still be extremely helpful to White.

Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds has said on the Pewter Report Podcast that he expects James Bettcher to draw consideration to replace Caldwell. Bettcher is currently a senior defensive assistant and run game specialist for the 49ers. The 42-year old worked with Arians in Indianapolis and Arizona. When Bucs defensive coordinator left Arizona to become the Jets head coach, Bettcher replaced him as the Cardinals defensive coordinator.