Buccaneers' Rachaad White backs Todd Bowles after rumors

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White indicated during a recent appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio that head coach Todd Bowles shouldn't have been in danger of losing his job before the team turned things around beginning in early December. 

“He leads us the right way," White said about Bowles, as shared by the JoeBucsFan website. "I say the biggest thing about him is he always has poise. He’s very, like, poised. He’s very, like, in the moment. He’s very one of them guys that, you know, they always say, 'never get too high, never get too low.' That’s the best way I can describe him."

Bowles unexpectedly was promoted in the spring of 2022 from the role of defensive coordinator to head coach shortly after former head coach Bruce Arians stepped down to become a senior consultant with the organization. Tampa Bay ultimately won the NFC South division title with an 8-9 record, despite Tom Brady's personal life hounding the team throughout the season.

The Buccaneers eventually replaced Brady with Baker Mayfield and then began this season 3-1 before falling to 4-7. While Tampa Bay won five of its final six games to claim a second-straight division crown under Bowles, it was rumored ahead of the club's wild-card playoff matchup versus the Philadelphia Eagles that the 60-year-old could be shown the door if his squad failed to beat Philadelphia. 

Tampa Bay instead crushed the Eagles 32-9 before giving the Detroit Lions a scare in the divisional round. Detroit defeated Tampa Bay 31-23, but Bowles isn't going anywhere even though former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is available. 

"He talks," White added about Bowles. "He has passion about the game. Enthusiasm about the game. I love coach Bowles a lot. He’s a great leader for us." 

The futures of key Buccaneers starters such as Mayfield and wide receiver Mike Evans are unclear with both currently set to reach free agency in March. Losing either would make the Buccaneers worse, on paper, than they were when they played in Detroit last month. 

Additionally, it was reported over the weekend that "multiple owners reached out to Belichick about next year’s hiring cycle" after Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank hired Raheem Morris as that club's next head coach. It's unknown if anybody associated with the Buccaneers "reached out" to Belichick in January, but many within the NFL community would view the six-time Super Bowl champion head coach as an upgrade over Bowles. 

Bowles holds a 17-17 regular-season record (1-2 in the playoffs) with Tampa Bay.