Bucs make more coaching moves after Zac Robinson that help Baker Mayfield
More familiarity for Baker Mayfield is always a good thing.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hired its new offensive coordinator in Zac Robinson on Thursday, closing the door on the offseason’s most important coaching search.
The hunt wasn’t over, however, as the Buccaneers needed to find a replacement for former QBs coach Thad Lewis, who was let go along with four other assistants after the 2025 season.
Well, the Bucs wrapped that up on Thursday, as well. Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Robinson is expected to bring both Ken Zampese and T.J. Yates with him to Tampa Bay. Zampese was a senior offensive assistant with the Atlanta Falcons the last two years, while Yates served a variety of roles with the team since 2021. His last job was that of offensive passing game coordinator, last year.
So, Robinson is bringing a couple of guys he’s familiar with, which makes sense. But, there’s another connection, primarily with Zampese, that should help the Buccaneers offense hit the ground running.
Ken Zampese coached Baker Mayfield in Cleveland for a year
Zampese was the Browns’ quarterbacks coach in 2018, which was Mayfield’s rookie year. That year, Mayfield threw for 3,725 yards and tossed 27 touchdowns to 14 interceptions. He also finished the season with a 7.48 ANY/A, which is fourth-highest adjust net yards per attempt of his career.
Mayfield was the runner-up for the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, showcasing a solid rapport between he and Zampese. Unfortunately, Hue Jackson was fired before the season ended and the new regime (Freddie Kitchens) didn’t think Zampese was worth keeping around.
There’s little doubt Zampese and Mayfield will be able to rekindle the production they provided in 2018. Sure, a lot has changed back then, but both guys are very experienced and will know how to ride the bike again, so to speak.
Yates’ passing attack was average in 2025, but QB issues played a role
The Falcons averaged -0.06 EPA and 6.2 yards per pass in 2025, which ranked 18th and tied for 15th, respectively. He didn’t run a lot of play action and divvied up the target locations of Michael Penix Jr.’s and Kirk Cousins’ pass attempts to the point where basically half of their attempts were over the middle of the field and the other half were outside the hashes.
The numbers aren’t going to blow anyone away, but it’s important to remember Michael Penix was playing in just his 14th game before he tore his ACL and then Kirk Cousins is basically a statue, at this point. Both quarterbacks are considered average, at best, at their point in their respective careers.
There’s also the fact Drake London missed a full month of the season and the Falcons were down to a third-stringer at right tackle.
All of those factors definitely contributed to an average Falcons passing attack (except when they played the Buccaneers of course) and it’s easy to see why Yates can have success with a healthy Buccaneers offense that boasts better weapons and a better offensive line.
In all, there’s plenty of familiarity for Mayfield, which is just as important as ever. That’ll certainly help iron out any early wrinkles and if the offense can just stay remotely healthy – it should get back on track in 2026.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers News
Buccaneers land ‘home run hire’ in Danny Smith that should erase the special teams stench from 2025
This is a very encouraging hire.
