The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are making “sweeping” coaching changes which includes the firing of offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, per Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud. The Bucs could be making changes to as many as seven assistant coaches, with the majority of the moves coming on the offensive side after an underwhelming season. The news confirms the rumor Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds floated about Leftwich’s eventual firing in the hours following Tampa Bay’s loss to Dallas.
“The Bucs have fired offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich,” Stroud tweeted on January 19, 2023. “The team is making sweeping changes to their coaching staff following an 8-9 regular season and wildcard loss to Dallas. As many as five offensive assistants and two on defense are expected to be let go.”
Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles found himself in the unique situation of inheriting an entire coaching staff following the abrupt retirement of Bruce Arians last March. Bowles will now get to assemble his own staff and Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken is among the favorites to land the same role with the Bucs, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
“For the first time, Bucs coach Todd Bowles will assemble his own offensive staff,” Rapoport detailed on Twitter. “Per me and @MikeGarafolo, one name to watch as OC: Georgia OC Todd Monken. The former Bucs OC could be back.”
Monken Was the Buccaneers OC in 2018
Monken has been a major part of the Bulldogs success with Georgia winning back-to-back national championships since he was named the team’s offensive coordinator. The possible move would mark a reunion for Monken who served as the Bucs offensive coordinator in 2018 under Dirk Koetter.
It is unfortunate news for Leftwich who was widely viewed as a top head coaching candidate last offseason. Tampa Bay averaged just 18.4 points per game which ranked just 25th among NFL teams in 2022.
Leftwich struggled to help the Bucs offense score points, but it appears the assistant is taking the majority of the blame for the entire unit’s woes. Tom Brady had his worst season with the Bucs as evidenced by his 79.7 grade from Pro Football Focus, much lower than his 92 score the previous two seasons. The Buccaneers also dealt with a litany of injuries on the offensive line throughout the season.
Will Coaching Changes Be Enough to Re-Sign Brady?
The unsaid message with the latest coaching moves is that the team aims to bring new life into a stale offense in hopes to entice Tom Brady to remain in Tampa Bay. Time will tell if a new offensive coordinator will be enough for Brady to return as the quarterback can officially begin negotiating with opposing teams in free agency on March 13. Despite the team’s struggles, Brady was complimentary of Bowles throughout the season.
“No one’s feeling sorry for us, no one outside the locker room can do much about it,” Brady explained during a December 15 press conference. “We’ve got to come together, and we’ve got to do it ourself. I think I really appreciate what Todd [Bowles] is doing. He’s putting it on us to fix it, and that’s what our responsibility is to do.
“…He’s just really allowed the leaders, the players to say, ‘You guys got to go out there and do it. We’re going to coach you up but you players got to go get it done.’ So, that’s what we’re trying to do.”
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Bucs Make Decision on ‘Sweeping Changes,’ May Pursue Georgia Coach: Report