The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ disappointing season came to an end on Monday, falling to the Dallas Cowboys 31-14 in their NFC Wild Card round matchup. Finishing with an 8-10 overall record, the team was one of the biggest underachievers in the entire NFL this year and barely won the division title in an incredibly weak NFC South.
First-year head coach Todd Bowles took a brunt of criticism for his conservative playcalling and lack of adjustments throughout the season, with some speculating if he’d be on the hot seat. However, the head coach isn’t going anywhere as he is expected to be back for the 2023 season, as reported by Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times last week.
Bowles has been with the organization since 2019, serving as defensive coordinator under Bruce Arians for three seasons before being promoted to the head job last offseason. Being a key figure in the team’s Super Bowl run during the 2020 season, he commanded respect throughout the halls of One Buc Place and seemed to primed for a seamless transition from Arians.
However, the Bucs struggled throughout the 2022 season, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. The unit struggled mightily, averaging just 18.4 points per game and was dead last in rushing with just 1,308 total rushing yards for the year. Defensively, the unit wasn’t as dominant as it had been in recent seasons and Bowles took a brunt of criticism for lack of adjustments that persisted throughout the year. The playoff loss to the Cowboys proved to be a microcosm of all of their struggles in the campaign.
This poses to be an offseason of change for the franchise, and it begins with the reported firing of offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich. Several roster moves are expected to made, particularly in regards to the future of quarterback Tom Brady. Through it all, Bowles will enter the 2023 season squarely on the hot seat.