After being able to hang onto offensive coordinator Liam Coen, one member of the Bucs’ coaching staff has been poached by an organization they have grown quite familiar with in recent seasons.
On Thursday afternoon, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that Tampa Bay’s co-defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers is heading to Detroit and joining the Lions’ coaching staff as their defensive line coach.
NFC Juggernaut Lions Pry One Of Todd Bowles’ Top Assistants Away From Tampa Bay
It was not the NFC North team that seemed likely to take Kacy Rodgers away, as he recently interviewed with the Packers for their defensive line coach position on Tuesday. Instead, the Lions are taking one of head coach Todd Bowles’ top assistants and best friends from under him.
Rodgers has been with the Bucs since 2019 when he was hired as the defensive line coach after Bowles was hired as defensive coordinator. With Bowles taking over as head coach in 2022, Rodgers also got a bump up in responsibility, becoming the run game coordinator and defacto co-defensive coordinator alongside Larry Foote.
The two have been together since 2015 in New York when Bowles had his first head coaching gig, which makes this an interesting departure. After such a long and fruitful partnership running defenses together, Rodgers now heads to Detroit, a team Tampa Bay has faced three times over the past two seasons.
Rodgers is taking over Terrell Williams’ spot, as he was hired away by the Patriots to be their defensive coordinator. Now with the Lions, he will work with a talented group led by Aidan Hutchinson and also boasting the likes of Alim McNeill, Za’Darius Smith, and D.J. Reader, among others. Long known for his prowess in developing Pro Bowl defensive linemen, he will be doing the same in a completely new — but thriving — environment with a team that just went 15-2.
Is Kacy Rodgers’ Exit A Prelude To Other Bucs’ Defensive Coaching Changes?
As Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds and Matt Matera recently outlined, it does not make sense that the Bucs let Kacy Rodgers leave the building.
If there was a bright spot along the defense this past season, it was surely the defensive line anchored by Pro Bowl defensive tackle Vita Vea, 2023 first-round pick Calijah Kancey, and 2022 second-round pick Logan Hall. Kancey and Vea led the team with 7.5 and seven sacks, respectively, while Hall flashed what once made him the team’s top draft pick with 5.5 sacks of his own.
While that can be credited to their talent, Rodgers also played a key part in that process. Since entering the NFL in 2003 with the Cowboys, the veteran defensive coach has overseen the Pro Bowl play of defensive linemen such as La’Roi Glover, Randy Starks, Paul Soliai, Cameron Wake, Muhammad Wilkerson, Leonard Williams, and most recently Vea. With that lengthy resume and track record, Tampa Bay’s defensive staff loses arguably its best coach.
What’s next?
With Todd Bowles’ return a near certainty now that the future of Liam Coen has been determined, Bowles will have to look long and hard at how he assembles his defensive coaching staff. Larry Foote remains on hand (no pun intended) and could take over as the primary defensive coordinator.
Still, a defensive line coach will need to be hired to replace Rodgers, and he may not be the only one that needs to be replaced. Outside linebackers coach George Edwards, cornerbacks coach Kevin Ross, and safeties coach Nick Rapone may still be let go or retire after underwhelming years at each position group.
After the Bucs overhauled the offensive staff this past offseason, Bowles may now decide it’s finally time to turn over his defensive coaches. While losing Rodgers is a tough blow, especially for him, it may start a mini-avalanche of moves to get Tampa Bay’s defense back on track in 2025.