Bucs Interview Former Browns OC Alex Van Pelt for Same Post

For the second consecutive year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking for a new offensive coordinator. Alex Van Pelt, who formerly worked with the Cleveland Browns for four seasons, was one of the first applicants to interview for the position in 2024.

Van Pelt paid a visit to Buccaneers headquarters on Monday as the team launched its search to replace Dave Canales, who was named as the Carolina Panthers’ new head coach last Thursday. Last February, the Bucs signed Canales, the former quarterbacks coach for the Seattle Seahawks, as their offensive coordinator. Van Pelt was familiar with the building, having served as the Bucs’ quarterbacks coach on Raheem Morris’ staff in 2010 and 2011.

The Browns were the NFL’s tenth-highest scoring club in 2023, averaging 23.3 points per game. Cleveland won 11 games and advanced to the playoffs despite having five different quarterbacks start at least one game during the regular season. Deshaun Watson, the team’s opening-day starter, missed 11 games with shoulder problems and was finally placed on injured reserve, leaving P.J. Walker, Jeff Driskel, and youngster Dorian Thompson-Robinson to start. Joe Flacco signed with the Browns in late November and has started the previous six games, winning four of them.

In 2023, Cleveland placed 16th in total yards per game (335.9) while also having the league’s best time of possession average of 32:19. The Browns finished 12th in rushing yards per game (118.6) despite losing standout running back Nick Chubb to a season-ending injury only two weeks into the season.

Van Pelt spent nine seasons in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills, retiring in 2003. Two years later, he began his coaching career with the Frankfort Galaxy in NFL Europe before returning to the Bills as a quality control coach in 2006. He was eventually promoted to quarterbacks coach and then offensive coordinator in 2009, before joining Tampa in 2010. He was the running backs and quarterbacks coach in Green Bay for six seasons before moving on to Cincinnati to coach the quarterbacks in 2018-19.