Dave Canales is going on the offensive…
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have hired the 41-year-old Latino football coach and former Seattle Seahawks quarterback coach as their new offensive coordinator, the team announced Thursday.
The move comes two days after he interviewed with the team.
Canales was the 10th candidate to interview with Tampa Bay for the position since the team fired Byron Leftwich after four seasons on Jan. 19.
“Dave has done a great job in a variety of roles with Seattle the past 13 years and he brings a passion for coaching and an energy level that players just seem to respond to,” Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said in a statement. “He has played a significant part in the development and growth of many Seahawks players who have contributed to their offensive success over the past decade, and I look forward to seeing what he will do with our players on offense.”
Canales had been with the Seahawks since 2010, first as their wide receivers coach, followed by quarterbacks coach (2018-19), passing game coordinator (2020-21) and then quarterbacks coach again (2022).
Prior to Seattle, Canales was an assistant strength coach at USC in 2009, a special teams/tight ends coach at El Camino College (Calif.) from 2006 to 2008 and the offensive coordinator at Carson High School (Calif.) from 2004-05.
Before he started coaching, he played wide receiver and defensive back at Azusa Pacific University.
Seahawks general manager John Schneider said Thursday on Seattle Sports Radio 710 AM that Brad Idzik will be following Canales to Tampa Bay to be the Buccaneers’ wide receivers coach. Idzik has been on Seattle’s staff since 2019, most recently as the assistant wide receivers coach.
Bowles, who is moving into his second season with the Bucs after an 8-9 finish in 2022, still has coaching vacancies at the quarterback and running back positions. After Tom Brady‘s retirement, the Bucs also currently have just one quarterback under contract in Kyle Trask, who saw regular-season action for the first time this past season.
Other coaches the Bucs interviewed for the offensive coordinator job include former Georgia OC Todd Monken (who was hired by the Baltimore Ravens this week); Detroit Lions assistant head coach/running backs coach Scottie Montgomery; Los Angeles Rams assistant head coach/tight ends coach Thomas Brown; Cincinnati Bengals quarterbacks coach Dan Pitcher; New Orleans Saints passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Ronald Curry; New York Giants quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney; Jacksonville Jaguars passing game coordinator Jim Bob Cooter; Minnesota Vikings wide receivers coach and former Buccaneer Keenan McCardell; and Denver Broncos passing game coordinator Klint Kubiak.