Bucs offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard is taking over the reigns to a really good situation for the 2025 season. As the passing game coordinator for Tampa Bay last season he saw it firsthand, but Grizzard is coming into a position where he’s operating an offense that was top three in total yards and passing yards per game and top four in rushing yards and points per game.

With the success that Tampa Bay found offensively, what exactly needs to be added to make it better? Is it even worth adjusting? There’s an old saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Bucs OC Josh Grizzard Explains Offensive Game Plan

The Bucs and Grizzard did a great job last season of formulating game plans based on their talent, and really who’s available. Early in the season, they did not have running back Rachaad White for a road game against the Saints. The offense managed to make third string back Sean Tucker the NFC Offensive Player Of The Week. They dealt with situations in the middle of the season where they didn’t have Mike Evans and Chris Godwin at receiver and still scored at least 20 points each time until Evans returned.  Later in the year Tampa Bay was without tight end Cade Otton and all of a sudden Payne Durham was scoring each game.

Bucs OC Josh Grizzard – Photo by: Matt Matera/PR

That wont’ be any different this year. But they’re also constantly looking for new ideas.

“The continuity will remain essentially the same,” Josh Grizzard said. “What you want to do, like we did last year, is morph it to the players. You can morph after the draft, like it was last year, or in season based on who is hurt or who is not. But we want to keep the root of that the same because that takes as much time as anything. With that said, I do think you have to evolve every year because now there is a full season of tape on what we did here and now people are studying that.

“We can go from the college ranks; we can do studies from around the league to put our unique spin on it. There are definitely things I’ve done in my past that I want to add to it to continue to apply pressure, but again, the last thing you want is to get stagnant, so now we can take it to the next level.”

Josh Grizzard then revealed an extra part of the offense that he wants to use more of next season and that’s going vertically up the field on plays.

“For this past season, it (the offense) was what we felt like was going to win the game that week,” Josh Grizzard said. “I do think moving forward, that is something we’re going to put an emphasis on. Not that we didn’t do it last year, but I think we can put even more on trying to create more explosive plays, for the same reason you talked about earlier on creating seven or eight play drives that could be 12 if you’re not having a 25 yard pass.

“So it’s definitely something that it just it limits the amount of plays in the drive, which is always a good thing as a coach, how much of an advantage you feel if it is for you to have.”

Josh Grizzard Has Extensive History With Different Offenses

There could be some fun new ideas from Josh Grizzard. Before coming to Tampa he was with the Miami Dolphins and worked for three different head coaches through seven years with Adam Gase, Brian Flores and two seasons under Mike McDaniel. Then of course he had an important role with Liam Coen and the Bucs.

Bucs pass game coordinator Josh Grizzard and RBs coach Skip Peete – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

It’s those last two coaches with McDaniel and Coen that could have the biggest influence on Tampa Bay’s offense in 2025. Anything from the McDaniel system will add something different. The Coen part is the continuity that he’s been talking about with also providing his own flavor to it. There’s a good chance that an offense put together by Josh Grizzard will have a blend specifically from these two coaches.

“I would say, first, thank you to Mike for giving me the opportunity to stay in Miami with him when he came on as the head coach,” Josh Grizzard said. “Without the two years under him, in his scheme and with his commitment to fundamentals, I wouldn’t have been in the position I was last year to be able to get this job.

“So then taking that knowledge and working with Liam to implement the things we did in Miami… it could have been under Mike – I was under three head coaches there, and I think six offensive coordinators – so, taking some of those things to add to what Liam had done, as well as the rest of the staff and where they had been, and then try to get on the same page, call things the same way and emphasize the same fundamentals. I think that really helped us build a solid foundation in the Spring that we were able to use in the Fall.”

The Players Have His Back

Bucs OC Josh Grizzard – Photo by: Matt Matera/PR

Another reason why Josh Grizzard got this job is because the players love him. At 34, he’s close in age to those in the locker room and can bond with them in familiarity than how some older coaches can. We’ve seen how Grizzard has spoken about the likes of Baker Mayfield and others. It’s the right kind of relationship that’ll help take this offense to new levels under his play calling.

“It means the world because to at least know that they trust me and that I trust them and that I have their best interest at heart,” Grizzard said.  “That’s aside from football and the schematics and trying to win games, it’s that they know that I care about them, and they care about me, and they’re also confident in my ability to take this thing to the next level. There’s the ground floor on what we’re trying to accomplish here, which is ultimately a Super Bowl and we fell short [last year]. To hear that from them – that’s why you [coach in] this game and try to help them as much as possible.”