TAMPA — Quarterback Baker Mayfield said the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are adjusting well to yet another offensive system, this time under coordinator Zac Robinson, marking the fifth consecutive season the franchise has installed a new playbook.
“That process has been good; I think we’re in a good place,” Mayfield said during training camp. Robinson, who spent the previous two seasons as the Atlanta Falcons’ coordinator and has roots in Sean McVay’s system, replaces Josh Grizzard, the 2025 coordinator whose tenure produced underwhelming results amid a wave of injuries.
The revolving door at coordinator began after Byron Leftwich’s four-year run ended following the 2022 season. Dave Canales ran the offense in 2023 and Liam Coen in 2024, but both left after a single season to take head coaching jobs. The Bucs promoted Grizzard from within to preserve Coen’s scheme, but the rushing attack cratered — falling from fourth in the NFL in rushing yards per game and third in yards per carry under Coen in 2024 to 21st and 26th, respectively, last season.
Head Coach Todd Bowles said Mayfield has put in the work to master Robinson’s playbook. “There’s a lot of nuances to it,” Bowles said. “I think he has done a great job. He’s in here every morning at 7:00 a.m. which people don’t see. He’s got it down pretty good. He’s got a good feel for it.”
A central change under Robinson is a more diverse run game featuring wide-zone concepts alongside the gap-scheme plays Tampa leaned on heavily last year. Mayfield said the 2025 offense became too predictable. “Last year, we kind of leaned on that too much to where teams can really tee off on it, bring some pressures to stop that. It’s tough to run when defenses get a bead on that,” Mayfield said. “I think Zac’s understanding of the run game and how to keep teams unbalanced on the defensive side of the ball, how to set things and just the play-action of the run game” will make a difference. “You can’t win in this league dropping 50 times a game, drop back 50 times a game. You have to be able to run the ball, have to be able to do play-action, screen.”
Training camp injuries to key players — including Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan, Tez Johnson and Cade Otton — have forced lineup shuffling, but Mayfield said the disruption has had an upside. “Guys being nicked up and having to flex guys in, it’s given us an opportunity to kind of explore some different packages, put guys in different spots, testing things,” he said. “Obviously, you want everybody out there, but it’s been good for us to deal with some challenges early on. It’s going to happen in-season.”
The Buccaneers continue training camp in Tampa ahead of the 2026 preseason schedule, where Robinson’s offense will get its first live test against an opposing defense.