NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported earlier on Sunday that the Bucs will be hosting Rams assistant head coach and tight ends coach Thomas Brown for a second interview for their vacant offensive coordinator position.

#Rams assistant head coach Thomas Brown is scheduled to fly to Tampa for a second interview Wednesday for the Bucs’ OC job and then to Carolina for a second interview Thursday for the Panthers’ OC job, per sources. A rising coach who knows Sean McVay’s offense inside and out.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 12, 2023

The tweet also mentions that the Bucs aren’t the only team hosting Brown for a second interview. The inter-division rival Panthers are also looking at Brown for the same role in their organization. With many of the candidates the Bucs have already interviewed having seemingly passed on the Tampa Bay job, it may not come as a surprise that Brown may opt to do the same.

Bucs Job May Not Be That Coveted

As Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds detailed recently, the Bucs offensive coordinator job may not be the hot option it once was. Without a sure thing at quarterback due to Tom Brady’s retirement and having only unproven Kyle Trask under contract, not to mention limited draft and salary cap resources, and an aging offense, a potential hire may look at the ingredients he is working with and determine there are better kitchens to cook in. Add in the fact that Bucs head coach Todd Bowles may be coaching for his job in 2023 and he and his staff could be gone with a substandard season and the opportunity does not look as shiny as some may think at first blush.

Panthers Could Lure Brown Away With Better Situation

Rams assistant head coach/TEs coach Thomas Brown – Photo by: USA Today

Bucs fans may not want to hear it, but at this point if Brown were offered both the Carolina and Tampa Bay jobs it is likely he would not pick the Bucs. While the Panthers don’t have a great quarterback situation either, they are in a much better opportunity to get one. The Panthers pick ninth overall in the 2023 NFL draft. That puts them in good position to take one of the four top quarterbacks projected in the first round currently.

And if they believe one or two of those quarterbacks are better than the other two or three by a healthy margin, they have enough draft capital to move up to get one of the top guys. Carolina has two second-rounders this year as well as their first-rounders in 2024 and 2025 to work with in a trade up scenario.

Brown can see this as an opportunity to be paired with a young signal caller which would give him more runway in terms of job security. The other option Carolina could roll with is signing a veteran to pair with a solid and ascending roster to make a run at a very winnable division in year one under new head coach Frank Reich. With the organization currently ranking 21st in the NFL in salary cap room they are in better position to make moves to sign a solid veteran like Derek Carr or Jimmy Garappolo than the Bucs.

The trump card the Panthers will be able to throw on the table when comparing offers with the Bucs will be the stage of the leadership. With Reich having just been hired to take over an organization that has not made the playoffs since 2017, there is a longer timetable for him and his staff to deliver results. Bowles on the other hand is coming off of a disappointing season.

Yes, the Bucs won the NFC South for the second consecutive season, but they did so with a losing record before an embarrassing first round exit from the playoffs. While he is just 11 months ahead of Reich into the job, his expectations are years ahead of his division rival and the clock is winding down on him to match the expectations of ownership.

Bucs HC Todd Bowles and OC Byron Leftwich – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The lone card working in the Bucs favor is play-calling duties. With Bowles being a defensive head coach, his offensive coordinator will be tasked with not just installing game plans but also calling the plays on game days. That was the case with former offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich.

In Carolina, Reich is likely to call the plays. He did in Indianapolis, and it was his platform for how he became a head coach in the first place. For coordinators who don’t call plays it can be harder to make the jump to the next level. Just ask Eric Bienemy in Kansas City. If the Bucs have to try and make a hard sell for Brown to choose them over Carolina, this will have to be their ace in the hole.

With limited cap resources, an aging roster, no viable option at quarterback with nary a hope to find the next golden armed savior and little time, Bowles may look like a ship abandoned at sea. If Brown wows in both interviews and gets both offers, it is likely the Bucs will be back to the drawing board in their coordinator search once again.