Fresh Todd Bowles hot-seat update emerges ahead of Buccaneers' game at Cowboys

Recent stories hinted that Tampa Bay Buccaneers ownership could fire head coach Todd Bowles if the 0-4 Buccaneers suffer a lopsided loss at the 2-2 Dallas Cowboys this coming Thursday night.

For an article published on Wednesday morning, NFL insiders Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN shared updates on Bowles' status heading into the prime-time showdown at Dallas' AT&T Stadium.

Buccaneers are "extremely fond" of Todd Bowles, but...

"The Buccaneers have lost 11 of their past 13 games dating to their 2025 bye week, when they were 6-2 and eyeing a fifth straight division title," Graziano wrote. "The extent to which things have fallen apart for Tampa Bay, which entered 2025 thinking it was primed for a Super Bowl run, is stunning. That organization is extremely fond of Bowles, and again, I am not saying he's in danger of losing his job. But I'm sure he's feeling pressure to get things turned around very soon."

From the start of the 2022 season through Week 4 of the ongoing campaign, Bowles accumulated a regular-season record of 35-37 and a postseason mark of 1-3 with the Buccaneers. He is planning to start undrafted rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels at the Cowboys with first-choice option Baker Mayfield sidelined due to a dislocated thumb, and certain insiders seem to think that Thursday's game in Dallas could get downright ugly.

As of Wednesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Buccaneers as 8.5-point road underdogs against the Cowboys. 

Will Todd Bowles be given more time to fix the Buccaneers? 

"Tampa Bay's current funk isn't ideal for Bowles in Year 5, a lengthy tenure by today's climate," Fowler added. "The Bucs' ownership maintains a good relationship with Bowles, so my sense is it will give him some time to try to work them out of this. The chatter will only intensify if the Bucs can't reverse the recent skid."

On Oct. 4, ESPN's Adam Schefter suggested that Mayfield won't play before Week 7 at the earliest. By then, Tampa Bay could be 0-6 and on the verge of selling players ahead of the Nov. 10 trade deadline. 

In short, Bowles may need the previously mentioned Daniels to become a revelation on Thursday night to silence talk about the Buccaneers possibly making a coaching change this fall.