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NFL Coach Power Rankings: Where Jay Gruden fits in among the 32 coaches

By Jacob Camenker

BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 29: Head coach Jay Gruden of the Washington Redskins talks with quarterback Kirk Cousins #8 of the Washington Redskins in the fourth quarter of a preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on August 29, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Matt Hazlett/ Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 29: Head coach Jay Gruden of the Washington Redskins talks with quarterback Kirk Cousins #8 of the Washington Redskins in the fourth quarter of a preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on August 29, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Matt Hazlett/ Getty Images) /
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TAMPA, FL – DECEMBER 10: Head coach Dirk Koetter of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers speaks into his headset on the sidelines during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions on December 10, 2017 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL – DECEMBER 10: Head coach Dirk Koetter of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers speaks into his headset on the sidelines during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions on December 10, 2017 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images) /

48. . Head Coach. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dirk Koetter. 31. player

Just over two years ago, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a decision to part with their head coach Lovie Smith. Though Smith had come to Tampa Bay as a respected candidate, he had only gone 8-24 in two seasons with the team. However, he had improved to 6-10 in his second year and things appeared to be trending upward. But the Buccaneers wanted an offensive mind to pair with Jameis Winston. And they had one on their staff.

At the time that Smith and the Bucs parted ways, Dirk Koetter was getting a lot of attention from other NFL teams as a potential head coaching option. Though he had spent just a year in Tampa Bay, he helped lead the team to a top five offense in terms of yardage. And in the previous three seasons, he had similar success in Atlanta. That made him an attractive option during the 2016 hiring cycle that saw 4-of-5 coaching vacancies filled by offensive minded coaches.

After Koetter’s promotion, the Bucs never really took the next step. Many expected them to make the proverbial leap that is discussed about certain teams every offseason. Instead, they stayed mostly level.

In Koetter’s first season, the Bucs improved to 9-7. However, both their offense and defense stayed mostly level during this season, and there wasn’t much growth noted from Winston. He was still struggling with turnovers and that was a bit of a dark cloud hanging over the perceived improvement.

Then, 2017 struck. The Bucs ended up going just 5-11 last year and that was a major disappointment. Koetter’s players appeared to be uninspired at times, and it was clear that Koetter’s offensive gameplan wasn’t as strong as initially anticipated. Their defense had gone from decent under Smith to awful under Koetter. And that led many to believe that Koetter might get fired following the season.

But Koetter was given another chance. One more year to work with Winston. To work on the ground game that has been non-existent during his tenure as head coach. It’s possible that Koetter could finally get the Bucs to make the leap, but at this point, they seem to have plateaued.

Perhaps the new personnel will give Koetter the talent injection he needs to fix the team. But given that he has struggled to develop Winston, who was regarded as one of the best quarterback prospects of the decade, it may be hard for him to get this Bucs team where they need to go to be competitive.

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