Todd Bowles and the Bucs certainly had a lengthy search for their new offensive coordinator after the firing of Byron Leftwich this past offseason. In fact, it was a search that included interviews with 10 candidates over multiple weeks. Ultimately, Bowles and Co. decided on longtime Seahawks assistant Dave Canales.

Now, Canales is 14 games into his first year as a play-caller and the Tampa Bay offense has kicked it up a notch in recent weeks. The unit had its fair share of clunkers early on, scoring 11, 6 and 13 points in home losses to the Eagles, Lions and Falcons, respectively. There was some slow-but-encouraging progress after that, particularly with Rachaad White and the run game, as well as the short passing game.

Bucs OC Dave Canales and QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

And then, over the last couple of weeks, things have begun to take shape for Dave Canales’ offense. The Bucs scored 29 points and had a late game-winning touchdown drive in Atlanta two weeks ago, then they went out and put up 34 points in a big statement win at Green Bay. Those two wins were the second and third in Tampa Bay’s current three-game winning streak, which has them positioned for a run at a third straight NFC South title and a fourth straight playoff appearance.

This recent run has many both nationally and locally singing Dave Canales’ praises, and for good reason. The Bucs lost Tom Brady in the offseason, but Canales and quarterback Baker Mayfield currently have the 2023 offense in better shape than the 2022 offense was.

Tampa Bay is averaging 21.1 points per game, just under the league average of 21.8 points per game. Meanwhile, the team scored just 18.4 points per game last year, well under the league average of 21.9 points per game. That’s an indictment of Leftwich, sure, but it’s also a credit to Canales and the work he and his staff have put in this year. Things could still be better, but the first step was improvement and with the way things look right now, it’s time to check off that first step.

What’s Driving Dave Canales In His Pursuit Of Making The Bucs Offense Great?

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles and OC Dave Canales – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Bucs have shown a lot of resilience this year, especially on offense. The unit was very much a work in progress for the first half of the season, but when it’s come down to the season’s stretch run, it’s been Dave Canales’ side of the ball that has been winning games for Tampa Bay. The strength of this team was supposed to be Todd Bowles’ defense, but Canales’ offense has picked up the slack as of late. Just take last week’s win over the Packers, for example.

But when he was asked Thursday whether this latest run has been validating for him as the team’s play-caller, an emotional Canales began by talking about the people who believed in him and gave him his chance – Todd Bowles and general manager Jason Licht – and how proving them right drives him to work hard.

“Absolutely. First and foremost, I want to make Coach [Todd] Bowles proud,” Canales said Thursday. “I want to make him right…[He is] just a guy who believed in me and gave me a shot. For me, it’s about grinding, working hard, and trying to prove him right. Jason Licht, too, and the whole group – it means a lot to me, it’s important. As we approach every week and as I challenge the guys, the other part of it is I want to build something that they can be proud of. I want to build something that guys can say, ‘This is who we are. This is the [Buccaneers].’ We’ve had a couple of those statement games.”

So, what has Canales and this Bucs offense been building toward as an identity, and how does the first-time offensive coordinator view his week-to-week preparation?

“Throughout the whole thing, it’s been great finishes. Even when the games were way out of reach, the guys never quit. Those are the things that really drive me, to know that we all have this chance. I can’t help but see the best, so when I came here for the interview and I see this roster and I see the names still in place, I’m like, ‘Okay, we’ve just got to find some people to develop – to grow with this thing.’

“The flip side of it is when I look at every defense we play – here we go again with the [Jaguars] – I also see the best in those groups. I can’t think of a week where I feel just amazing going into the game plan, like ‘Guys, we’ve got this one.’ It’s that same mentality, like they have a lot of fantastic players – if they play to their potential, we’ve got our hands full today. It works both ways.”

#Bucs Dave Canales gets emotional discussing the team and Todd Bowles taking a chance on him at OC.

Says he wants to make Bowles proud and also wants to build something where guys can say “This is who we are.” pic.twitter.com/vKJdXpJ8nL

— PewterReport 🏴‍☠️ (@PewterReport) December 21, 2023

Dave Canales Credits Others On Bucs Coaching Staff For Recent Success

Bucs WRs coach Brad Idzik and OC Dave Canales – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

From day one, Dave Canales has come across as a selfless person who has the football sense and overall temperament to one day be an NFL head coach. Whether that’s in his plans and whether it’ll come to fruition remains to be seen, but for now, the 42-year-old has been leading the charge on the offensive side of the ball for Tampa Bay.

But it’s not a one-man show, and he’ll be the first to say as much. In fact, that’s exactly what he did on Thursday.

“Honestly, the thing that I have at my disposal is, I’ve got to talk about my staff,” Canales said. “I’ve got to talk about ‘Goodie’ (Harold Goodwin). You want to talk about the run game? It all starts with ‘Goodie.’ Nobody works harder through the weekend, prepping for the following week, seeing what calls we’re making in those games. ‘Are these the right block combos for my guys?’ Really detailing it out for what style of runs [are] best for Rachaad [White] and Chase [Edmonds]. ‘How can I put the tight ends in good situations, leverage-wise?’ I can’t say enough for the job that he’s done, really, to get this run game going.

“Then, I have confidence to call it. We’ve gotten [into] a really good rhythm during the game of ‘Goodie’ and Joe [Gilbert] talk together and then ‘Goodie’ goes to the line and he’s talking to them. Joe and I have our little period on the defensive series, where he says, ‘Hey, it’s these next three runs. These are the ones we like right now.’ That communication is huge. Brad [Idzik] giving me, ‘Hey, it’s this kind of day on third down,’ or, ‘It’s what we thought it was going to be.’ Thad [Lewis] – the redzone designs.

Bucs OC Dave Canales – photo by: Cliff Welch P/R

“Really, I’ve got to mention Jeff Kastl. I know I’m talking about everybody, but I’ve got to mention Jeff Kastl, who’s our empty[-set], quick-game, first and second down, dropback-attack, different personnels [guy]. [He is] trying to give movement and variety, getting Mike [Evans] and Chris [Godwin] into spots, getting Rachaad [White] into spots. A lot of Jeff’s plays really showed up on gameday. Then, it becomes about taking in that information and then being able to utilize it in the flow of the game based on, ‘Alright, what’s my earned-first look like? What’s my P-and-10 (first play of the possession) look like? Are we too much run [or] too much pass here?’

“It’s a collective group giving me great information [where] I feel so confident about calling the next plays and staying on track.”

As much of a collective effort as this all has been, there’ still more work to be done. But the way things feel, this really is only the beginning for the Buccaneer offense. And at the same time, it’s still the beginning for Dave Canales. After helping Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield revive their respective careers, Canales is doing a great job of launching his own.