Kacy Rodgers enters his fifth season as defensive line coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2023, and his second season as run game coordinator.
After a career year in 2021, nose tackle Vita Vea re-established career highs across the board in 2022, with a team-high 6.5 sacks, in addition to 13 quarterback hits, seven tackles for loss, one forced fumbled and one fumble recovery. Rodgers' front limited opponents to the sixth-worst third-down conversion rate (36.9%), in addition to the defense finishing fifth in the NFL in fewest first downs allowed per game (18.5), tied for sixth in tackles for loss (89), tied for seventh in sacks (45.0), tied for ninth in fewest opponent yards per game (324.3) and 10th in fewest opponent yards per play (5.1). According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Buccaneers also ranked second in three-and-outs, fourth in creating second-and-8+ and sixth in defensive stops behind the line of scrimmage.
In 2021, Rodgers coached Vea to the first Pro Bowl of his career, after he posted or tied career highs in solo tackles (22), sacks (4.0), quarterback hits (12) and tackles for loss (five). Rodgers' unit was the front line for a defense that finished third in the NFL in run defense, allowing just 92.5 rushing yards per game. It marked the third consecutive season under Rodgers in which the Buccaneers finished top three in the NFL in run defense. In addition, Tampa Bay led the league in quarterback hits (123) and finished seventh in sacks (47.0), seventh in fewest yards per play allowed (5.16) and eighth in tackles for loss (81).
In his second season in Tampa Bay, Rodgers earned John Teerlinck Defensive Line Coach of the Year honors in 2020 – an award given annually to the league's top defensive line coach, as voted on by coaches across the league. He led a Super-Bowl winning defensive line unit that led the NFL against the run for the second consecutive season, limiting opponents to 80.6 rushing yards per game and 3.6 yards per carry in the regular season. Tampa Bay held its opponents to fewer than 100 rushing yards an NFL-best 12 times in 2020. In Super Bowl LV, the Buccaneers defense kept the Chiefs offense out of the endzone, while tallying a Super Bowl-record 29 quarterback pressures.
Additionally, the Buccaneers tallied 48.0 regular season sacks in 2020 – the second-most in team history – and 58.0 total sacks between the regular season and postseason combined, which tied for the NFL lead. Under Rodgers' guidance, veteran defensive lineman William Gholston had a career-high 20 quarterback hits in 2020, the sixth-most in the NFL by an interior defensive lineman in 2020. Ndamukong Suh also recorded 6.0 sacks in 2020 -- his most in a season since 2015 – and 19 quarterback hits, which ranked tied for seventh-most by an interior defensive lineman.
Under Rodgers' watch, the defensive line set the foundation for the NFL's top run defense, which limited its opponents to 73.8 rushing yards per game and 3.26 yards per carry in 2019. In his 10th NFL season, Ndamukong Suh posted single-season career highs with four fumble recoveries (43 return yards) and two defensive touchdowns. His four fumble recoveries tied for the second most in a single season in team history. Suh added 14 quarterback hits in 2019, which ranked seventh among all interior defensive linemen, while Vita Vea ranked 11th with 12 quarterback hits of his own. Additionally, the defensive line helped the Buccaneers defense to 47 sacks in 2019, which was the second highest single-season sack total in team history.
Rodgers spent four seasons serving as the defensive coordinator of the New York Jets (2015-18), working under Buccaneers Head Coach Todd Bowles, then the Jets' head coach. The Jets defense under Rodgers and Bowles posted one of the best run defenses in the NFL, holding teams to just 4.00 yards per carry, the sixth-lowest figure in the NFL during that span, and allowing only 44 rushing touchdowns, tied for the eighth-least in that timeframe. Rodgers helped defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson earn a Pro Bowl berth in 2015, after posting a career-high 12.0 sacks, and helped defensive lineman Leonard Williams – the team's 2015 first-round pick – earn a Pro Bowl berth in 2016. Under Rodgers, Williams posted the fifth-most quarterbacks hits of any interior defensive lineman (64) from 2015-18.
Prior to his time with the Jets, Rodgers spent seven seasons coaching the defensive line in Miami (2008-14). During his time with the Dolphins, the team posted 287 sacks, the third-highest mark in the NFL, while allowing the eighth-fewest yards per carry (4.02) during that span. Rodgers helped guide defensive tackle Paul Soliai (2012), defensive tackle Randy Starks (2010, 2012) and defensive end Cameron Wake (2010, 2012-14) to Pro Bowl selections. Wake, who also earned three AP All-Pro selections under Rodgers (first team, 2012; second team, 2010 and 2014), ranked third in the NFL in sacks from 2009-14, with 63.0.
Rodgers began his NFL coaching career with the Dallas Cowboys, first working as the team's defensive tackles coach (2003-04) before taking over as the defensive line coach (2005-07). In four of Rodgers' five seasons in Dallas, the team ranked inside the NFL's top 10 for rush defense, notably finishing sixth in the league in 2007. He coached defensive tackle La'Roi Glover to three consecutive Pro Bowl appearances from 2003-05.
Prior to his time in the NFL, Rodgers coached collegiately, first working at Tennessee-Martin (1994-97) before going to Louisiana-Monroe (1998), Middle Tennessee State (1999-2001) and Arkansas (2002).
A native of Humboldt, Tennessee, Rodgers played collegiately at Tennessee. He spent training camp with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1992 and played for the Shreveport Pirates of the Canadian Football League in 1994 before retiring. Rodgers is the proud father to Kacy Rodgers II. Rodgers II and his wife, Alex, gave Rodgers his first grandchild, Kali.
