Baker Mayfield says Buccaneers offense is finding a “good place” under Zac Robinson

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offense is in the middle of another new-coordinator transition, and quarterback Baker Mayfield is framing it as progress rather than disruption. Speaking during training camp, Mayfield said the team has been able to install its latest offensive approach with a sense of momentum so far, characterizing where Tampa is in the process as a “good place.”

For the Buccaneers, the 2026 season continues a rare stretch of coaching turnover on the offensive side. According to the team, this year will mark the fifth straight season in which Tampa Bay’s offense operates under a different coordinator. The run began when Byron Leftwich’s four-year tenure in the role ended after the 2022 season, and he was followed by a sequence of coordinators whose stays were not long enough to fully settle the scheme at the same institutional pace.

Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator timeline, as outlined by the team, starts with Dave Canales in 2023 and Liam Coen in 2024. In that period, both coordinators were described as quickly moving on to head-coaching opportunities, cutting short what the Buccaneers initially hoped would be continuity. Then, in an attempt to preserve elements of the prior offensive identity, Tampa Bay promoted from within by elevating Josh Grizzard to the coordinator role in 2025, which the team says produced underwhelming results, with injuries playing a significant role in how the season unfolded.

Now, with Zac Robinson calling plays in 2026, Mayfield’s message is that the installation feels smoother than the on-paper idea of yet another change might suggest. Even when the coordinator changes, the quarterback remains the central connector between coaches and players, and training camp is where timing, formations, and the “why” behind the playbook becomes usable in live work. Mayfield’s assessment points to the Buccaneers reaching the kind of camp phase where concepts start translating into execution, at least from the quarterback’s perspective.

The broader context is that the Buccaneers’ offense has been asked to operate through shifting strategic frameworks while also trying to keep cohesion among the players who have to run each version of the system. When coordinator turnover becomes the norm, it can turn even small details, like route timing, protection rules, and third-down cadence, into a recurring adjustment cycle. Mayfield’s comments, delivered while the offense is still being installed, suggest Tampa is attempting to shorten that cycle by making this coordinator transition as organized and repeatable as possible.

For the coaching staff, the practical test will come once camp work turns into game planning. The Buccaneers will need the coordinator’s scheme to show up consistently in high-leverage situations, where the margin for miscommunication shrinks. The quarterback’s belief that the offense is in a “good place” is an early indicator, but the team’s real measure will be how effectively those installed concepts hold up under pressure when opponents are taking away the easiest reads.

Over the next few weeks, attention will likely return to whether Robinson’s offense can provide clearer structure and faster execution, and whether Tampa can avoid the stalled starts that often accompany repeated playbook transitions. If Mayfield’s camp assessment holds, the Buccaneers could be setting up an offense that is not just different from last year, but also better understood, more consistent, and ready to travel from practice to the opener with less friction.