An undeniable drop-off from a 3-1 start to 1-6 since has Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans clamoring for head coach Todd Bowles’ firing.
Longtime Buccaneers insider Scott Reynolds of Pewter Report explains why it won’t happen. Tampa Bay slipped to 4-7 on Bowles’ watch with a 27-20 loss against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, but the Glazer family, owners of the Buccaneers, have a sliver of hope for Bowles.
“I’ve maintained all year that based on their track record, the Glazers give every head coach they’ve hired at least two full seasons to prove that they can lead the team and show some improvement,” Reynolds wrote. “I get that fans want instant accountability and Todd Bowles to be fired for the team’s 4-7 record, which includes losses in six of the last seven games.”
Buccaneers Have 2 Reasons to Stick With Bowles
Bucs coach Todd Bowles: “We’re one game out of first place but the way we’re playing – it’s gotta be turned around. It’s gotta be turned around. It feels like we’re 10 games out and we’re one game out, but we’ve gotta play better, and we understand that as a unit.”
Reynolds sees two reasons why the Glazers would keep Bowles on the sideline for the rest of the season instead of showing him the door.
“First, the Bucs are only one game out of first place in the NFC South, which is a division no team really wants to win for the second year in a row,” Reynolds continued. “The Glazers will allow Bowles the chance to right the ship and win another division title, as he did last year with a dubious 8-9 record.”
Bowles himself emphasized that point after the loss. The Buccaneers can still win the NFC South with a game against the Atlanta Falcons, another against the New Orleans Saints, and two against the Carolina Panthers down the stretch.
“Second, if Bowles does not show enough progress and the team continues to lose, the Bucs could benefit from having a higher draft pick in the first round,” Reynolds continued. “Having a higher draft pick could mean having the chance to pick a better player — perhaps a quarterback in the first round. And that might help lure the right replacement for Bowles in the offseason.”
Tampa Bay sits at the No. 7 spot for the 2024 NFL Draft after Week 12. If the Buccaneers keep sliding, the team could easily pass the Washington Commanders and New York Giants for a top-five pick since both NFC East teams have a couple of winnable games in December.
Instant Gratification for Fans Won’t Work for Buccaneers
As Reynolds pointed out, the Buccaneers could make a playoff run or crash into higher draft spot. Showing Bowles the door now does neither, Reynolds noted.
“The only problem with firing Todd Bowles in the middle of the season is if doing so creates a short-lived spark that results in the Bucs maybe winning eight games instead of five or six with Bowles, hypothetically speaking,” Reynolds wrote. “The Bucs would miss the playoffs either way and instead of picking in the Top 10 the Bucs have a pick in the middle of the first round instead. Either way Tampa Bay is forced to hire a new head coach, but has a lower draft pick as a result.”
“And what would happen if the Bucs fired Bowles and say promoted assistant head coach Harold Goodwin to lead the team as an interim head coach? Let’s say the Bucs won five of their remaining six games — most of which could be classified as winnable games. Would that put Goodwin in automatic contention for the head coaching job in 2024?”
Reynolds went on to illustrate that it could create problems with hiring a new head coach, depending on how the new coach pans out next season.
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Buccaneers to Keep Todd Bowles for 2 Reasons, Insider Says