The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t just overhaul their roster this offseason – the coaching staff underwent significant turnover, too.

A total of seven coaches were either let go or retired. One of said coaches was former defensive line coach Charlie Strong, who couldn’t quite get the job done in his first, and only, year with the Buccaneers.

In steps his replacement, Marcus West, who hails from the Buffalo Bills. He’d been with the franchise since 2022 and spent the last two years as defensive line coach.

Of all the new hires on Todd Bowles’ staff, West has made the strongest early impression and he can really help the defensive line become a dominant group in 2026.

West’s energy has been impossible to miss

With all due respect, West is the exact opposite of Strong and that’s exactly what the Buccaneers need. West brings a high-energy, in-your-face, and interactive coaching style the defense desperately needed. Whereas, Strong took more of a laidback approach and demeanor, instead.

“The energy I bring is what I owe to the players,” West told reporters ahead of OTAs. “It’s what I owe to my guys. It’s what I owe to the profession. It’s what I owe to the mentors I’ve had, and it’s innate. I bring it every day and I tell them to match my energy. A mentor of mine told me this, ‘They’ll go and they’ll follow as you go.’

“So it’s my job to bring it every day.”

West is so engaged during practice that he puts about as much physical work in as the players. The intensity is real and players have raved about his technique and coaching style.

“[He is an] outstanding teacher,” Bowles told reporters during rookie minicamp. “I think he sweats out there and works harder more than anybody out there. I love him as a teacher, I told him I don’t know CPR, so I can’t give him mouth-to-mouth if he passes out, but he does a very good job explaining the game to those guys and he’s been a great surprise.”

West isn’t just an energy guy, either. He’s shown strong schematic knowledge and a deep understanding of the game over the last couple of months, which has stood out to those watching closely.

“I think Marcus West is a really cerebral, energetic player coach that has a really good way of teaching and presenting things, and knowledge of the game, and connecting with players,” Licht recently said on the Pewter Report Podcast. “I’ve heard nothing but good things so far from the players with him.”

It’s exactly what you want from a position coach, and it matters even more given the context surrounding the Buccaneers defensive line.

Tampa Bay’s defensive line has to take a massive step forward in 2026 for this defense to rebound the way it needs to. Calijah Kancey, Vita Vea, A’Shawn Robinson, Elijah Roberts, and DeMonte Capehart all need to take the necessary steps in their own respective context and West can help them get there.

And this group can get it done. I mean, just two years ago, the Buccaneers’ defensive line led the team in sacks as a unit, outpacing the edge rushers. That’s an impressive feat when you think about it. The group has the experience and the ability. Now it’s up to West to make sure it translates to the field in 2026.

Marcus West’s track record in Buffalo is a mixed bag

West’s tenure as defensive line coach with the Bills produced steady, if unspectacular, numbers.

Buffalo is tied for 19th in sacks over the last two seasons (75), and tied for 17th in pressures (278), per Stathead. The year-to-year consistency was solid, with 39 and 36 sack totals in back-to-back seasons. It’s not like there was a massive drop off or ascension in-between years.

The context behind those numbers matters, though. For starters, the Bills relied heavily upon the defensive line for pressure. Sean McDermott blitzed at a below-average rate and blitzing can open up extra opportunities for the defensive line to get home.

Additionally, the Bills lost Ed Oliver for 14 games in 2025, and he is arguably their best defensive lineman. His absence undoubtedly created a ripple effect across the entire unit.

Despite the circumstance, West found ways to develop talent around the loss. Gregory Rousseau posted two of the best seasons of his career under West’s coaching. A.J. Epenesa had one of his best years in 2024 before dipping in 2025, though Oliver’s absence played a role there, as mentioned earlier.

In other words, West has shown he can work with what he’s given and still produce decent results.

The Buccaneers’ defensive line is the most talented group West has coached

That tells me the ceiling is high for this pairing. The Buccaneers’ defensive line, when healthy, is the most talented unit West has ever had at his disposal. Kancey is a disruptive interior pass rusher, Vea remains one of the NFL’s most dominant nose tackles, and Robinson provides veteran depth.

If Roberts and Capehart take the right strides this offseason, Tampa Bay could have one of the deeper defensive line rotations in the NFC.