On a team’s shopping list?

It’s that time of the year — the second half of the season — when NFL stenographers try to guess who will be a coach of what team after the smoke clears from Black Monday (Jan. 6).

Over at NFL.com, Tom Pelissero, who is as plugged into NFL teams as just about any other national NFL reporter, has Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen high on the list of assistants who are very attractive to NFL owners.

Pelissero has Coen as No. 4 on his list of top coaching candidates.

Buccaneers OC Liam Coen, 39: A former UMass quarterback who still holds school passing records, Coen spent a season in the arena league before going into coaching, where his résumé in recent years has been unique. He had two stints each with the Rams (2018-20, 2022) and the University of Kentucky (2021, 2023) before replacing Panthers head coach Dave Canales as Tampa Bay’s OC this past offseason. The Buccaneers’ offense has improved statistically, ranking fifth in scoring (27.9 points per game) despite Tampa’s ongoing four-game losing streak amidst injuries to its top receivers. Coen has the demeanor and personality for a head job. He may get a look.

Joe believes there are two things that are getting owners’ attention with Coen. The first, of course, is quarterback.

Always remember and never forget, the NFL is a quarterback league. You can holler “defense” and “team” all you want, but no quarterback, no shot. It’s that simple.

And while Coen’s predecessor and current Stinking Panthers coach Dave Canales did a fine job with Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield, Coen has taken Mayfield to even higher levels.

Do strong work with quarterbacks and you can damn near pick what team you want to work for.

The other is that in the three games following the injuries to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, the Bucs offense barely missed a beat. Only in the last game the Bucs played, against the 49ers, did it feel like the Bucs were missing Evans and Godwin.

In other words, Coen found a way to bridge the gap until Evans got back, which Bucs coach Todd Bowles said yesterday that Evans is “trending” to play on Sunday at the Giants.

That, boys and girls, is a good coach. A guy who finds a way to keep his head above water in a roster crisis until the life raft arrives is very valuable to NFL owners.