Byron Leftwich should be a hot name for NFL teams in search of an offensive coordinator
Byron Leftwich's stock took a hit after a difficult season in Tampa Bay and he was fired on Thursday. It would be a shame if Leftwich isn't offensive coordinator with another team next season.
Leftwich will need to answer for what exactly went wrong in Tampa, but over his four seasons as offensive coordinator with the Bucs, 2022 looked a lot different than every other year.
To suggest Leftwich was responsible for Tampa's offensive ineptitude this season would also mean he was just as responsible for the team's back-to-back top five seasons with Brady at QB. He also was offensive coordinator when Jameis Winston threw 5,109 yards in 2019.
The Bucs problems this season ran far deeper than at offensive coordinator.
The above play, which was used to try to discredit Leftwich, shows the left tackle in pass protection while the left guard pulls as if blocking on a run play. The two receivers to the left don't run routes, leaving Tom Brady's one receiver to his right as the only player to run a route on the play.
There is a greater chance that wasn't how the play was designed but miscommunication occurred among the players.
After spending five years under Bruce Arians, Leftwich knows how to coordinate an offense. Tampa Bay's struggles this season along the offensive line and in the running game were more of a reflection of issues with the roster's construction than Leftwich's shortcomings. The Bucs ranked last in rushing with 1,308 yards (76.9 yards per game).
The Chargers and Commanders are among the teams in search of a new offensive coordinator. Pairing him with a QB talent such as Justin Herbert is fun to think about, but it's unclear what the market for Leftwich will be after the Bucs offense averaged 18.4 points per game.
Last season, Leftwich received interview requests for head coaching positions. There's no good reason a bad 2022 season should erase three productive years or the fact that he coached under one of the most respected coaches in the league in Arians before he retired after the 2021 season.
Leftwich rose to fame while at Marshall when his offensive linemen carried him down the field after he broke his shin in the first quarter against Akron on Nov. 2, 2002. He finished that game 26-of-38 for 307 yards. Leftwich played nine seasons in the NFL from 2003-12 and entered the coaching ranks as an intern for the Cardinals in 2016.
He was Arizona's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2018 and was tasked with working with failed NFL draft pick Josh Rosen. Since that season, Leftwich's offenses ranked first or second in the league in passing from 2019-22.
Teams should be lining up to set up interviews with Leftwich. It would be a horrible look for one of the sport's rising coaching talents not to land on his feet.
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