Todd Bowles Is Running Out Of Time

For a very long time – longer than most Buccaneers fans would want – I’ve been a staunch defender of Todd Bowles. I felt that he was continuously heading in the right direction and despite his mid-season hiccups, he’s gotten the team to the postseason three years in a row as division champions. Now? Well, I’ve run out of doubts to give him the benefit of. Sunday was the last straw. There’s no other way to look at it – Bowles was yet again outcoached and defeated by an inferior team. Before the season began, before all the injury concerns popped up and caused issues up and down the roster, this was a Super Bowl caliber team. This was a roster with enough talent to go toe-to-toe with the best of the best. You had the best receiving corps in the NFL, you had a quarterback coming off back-to-back career best seasons, you had a defense that had All Pro talent and leadership at all three levels.

And look where it got you.

This was a team that despite losing Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan for extended time, despite not having Tristan Wirfs and Chris Godwin just to get them back and then lose Godwin again, despite losing Calijah Kancey, despite losing Bucky Irving – they were 5-1. 5-1 among the Super Bowl favorites, number one in all the power rankings, and the odds on favorite for NFL MVP under center. Somehow, they have shriveled into a shell of themselves and dropped five of their last seven, on the cusp of falling behind the Carolina Panthers for the NFC South crown. That’s on Bowles. You can’t defend it anymore. Someone has to be held accountable and it’s going to be the guy that isn’t just in charge of the team, but that specializes in a side of the football that can’t get stops on third down, can’t cover the middle of the field, can’t stop the explosive plays – and yet somehow we all know that it’s not a talent issue.

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It’s a schematic issue, an execution issue, and a leadership issue. It is Zyon McCollum getting his extension then reverting back to his 2023 form, Lavonte David losing two steps instead of one, SirVocea Dennis not being the answer at linebacker, and communication issues among all the players that have led to broken coverages and 40+ yard touchdowns. It’s painful to watch, especially Lavonte. He came back because he knew how close this team was to competing for a championship, but he isn’t the Lavonte David we all know. Not anymore. Father time is undefeated and unfortunately he came for David this year with a vengeance. It’s okay to say that Lavonte isn’t the same player he used to be – it had to happen at some point. That doesn’t make him any less of a legend in this city, for this franchise. It doesn’t make him any less Ring of Honor or Hall of Fame worthy. It doesn’t make him any less of the quintessential “Buccaneer Man,” it just means that he’s gotten old and, because of that, can’t mask the deficiencies in the middle of the field like he used to.

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I don’t want to discount the role injuries have played in the season. They’ve certainly taken their toll on the team and we’re seeing the effects of it week in and week out – especially from Baker Mayfield who might be playing at about 50%. However, you add to that the musical chairs being played by the offensive line and Baker doesn’t have faith in his protection like he did last year. You have Emeka Egbuka dropping more passes than he’s catching and at this point can’t seem to find a way over that mental hurdle to get back on track. You have receivers quitting on routes and causing turnovers because of it. That’s all important to remember when you look at the season as a whole – but to lose to the Saints, at home, while allowing them to go 100% on third down until their next to last possession is indefensible. To allow Tyler Shough to have two rushing touchdowns, including a 34-yarder untouched, is inexcusable. To say that you’re treating every week like the playoffs and lay that kind of egg against a team that was in the running for the top pick in the draft is downright pathetic.

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There are fundamental disconnects here and when that happens, it’s the guy at the top that gets the blame – and that guy is Todd Bowles. The Bucs should have been able to beat the Saints with Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback and every practice squad player elevated while half the starters were in ponchos. Instead, it was another glaring example of why the time may have come to move on from Bowles. This defense is in the bottom 25% of the NFL in allowing third-and-6 or more to be converted. You’re in the bottom third of the league in converting third downs. You went 2-for-7 on fourth downs and continuously gave the Saints half a field to work with – and when you weren’t doing that, your kick coverage was allowing them to have just half the field to work with. I like Todd. I think he’s been a good coach for this team and I think this second chance after his stint with the Jets ended the way it did. However, at some point you have to know that he isn’t going to be the guy to put them over the top and you’re wasting a very small championship window where the Bucs can legitimately contend for that Lombardi. Baker, Evans, Vita, Antoine, Chris – they aren’t getting any younger. Can you really afford to keep sticking it out with Bowles and risk that?

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I mean, Tony Dungy did more to turn the franchise around and he was given his walking papers after making the playoffs but not advancing. And while Bowles is a great guy and a good coach, the message doesn’t seem to be getting through anymore and it’s time for a new voice, a fresh perspective to take over. I don’t have a list or anything of candidates I think would do a good job, but names like Klint Kubiak, Nate Scheelhasse, and even Jon Gruden have been floated out there by social media. First off, no – Gruden is not the answer. Not even close. But I’m not going to get into that here. That’s a post for another day. And while most of the time when teams make a change at head coach they tend to flip from one specialty to another – like Bowles being defensive minded, so they’d look for an offensive minded guy to replace him – but I like the idea of Marcus Freeman if you can wrangle him away from Notre Dame. He’s been one of the brightest young defensive minds in the game for a little while and a guy that would bring a Sean McVay level of energy to the franchise.

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There are plenty of guys that could be good fits – but it’s all moot if the Bucs decide to keep Bowles around. Right now, the only way I see him saving his job is by rallying the team and making a run to the NFC Championship. Outside of that, it’s in the best interest of the franchise, and ownership, to cut their losses and move on. For more on the Buccaneers from James click here, check him out on the Locked on Bucs Podcast, then make sure you follow him on
Todd Bowles Is Running Out Of Time was first posted on December 10, 2025 at 8:58 am.