The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been granted permission to interview two up-and-coming assistant coaches, according to league sources.
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The Bucs are set to interview Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer for the team's vacant head coaching position and also have been granted permission to interview Carolina Panthers first-year offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinksi.
The interview with Zimmer is set for Monday, according to a league source.
The Zimmer-led Bengals posted the league's No. 7 defense this past season and rode the unit's success to a wild-card berth. The Bucs twice witnessed the difference Chudzinski has made in Carolina in his first season there, as the Panthers hung up a combined 86 points in two wins over the Bucs this season.
A source with knowledge of the situation said Thursday that Houston Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips has pulled his name out of contention for the Bucs' head coaching spot.
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