Can Todd Bowles Reclaim His Reputation?
July 17th, 2026
Bucs coach Todd Bowles.
You hear it. Joe hears it. We all hear it.
In the immediate moments before kickoff, almost always, the FOX/CBS/NBC/BSPN/Amazon broadcast crew references Todd Bowles as a mad scientist with blitzes that are unique and vast that even the likes of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning would be rattled senseless by their impact.
As Bucs fans know, that hasn’t been the case with Bowles’ Bucs defenses the past few years. Not when then-rookie C.J. Stroud threw the ball up and down up and down the field on the Bucs’ defense, not when Kirk Cousins regularly looked like Dan Marino in his prime, not when a rookie seventh-round draft pick like Quinn Ewers looked confident and comfortable in his second NFL start.
Noted handicapper-turned-stathead Warren Sharp sees the same. And in his Warren Sharp 2026 Football Preview, Sharp believes the Bucs could again win the NFC South landfill with eight wins. But if folks want the Bucs to make any noise in the postseason, a lot of things have to go right, Sharp noted.
One of those things is for Bowles to recapture his status as a feared defensive wizard.
[T]he defense has to be substantially better. Lavonte David is now gone. Jamel Dean is gone. The front-seven needs Rueben Bain to matter immediately. The secondary has to survive without the same margin for error. And Bowles has to prove his side of the ball can finally become a strength again, not just a reputation from a different version of his career.
Yes, the NFC South, until further notice, is a sad division. The Bucs only need to play OK ball and they could win it.
Look at last year. The Bucs had one of the franchise’s all-time choke jobs after the bye and still finished tied for first place, albeit losing the title in a three-way tiebreaker.
So yeah, could the Bucs win the NFC South landfill? Sure. But if Bowles can craft a good defense as most defensive-minded head coaches do, the team could be special.
July 17th, 2026 at 7:09 am
Yes, of course he can salvage his reputation. With all this new talent on defense, a healthy offensive line and OC that actually knows what he’s doing and a motivated Baker- things set up to be much better this year.
July 17th, 2026 at 7:18 am
Agreed. The opportunity exists, but intelligent decisions on both sides of the ball will be required. Accountability will be a must with bench time for those who loaf or become bored. Our new rookies bring lots of promise, but they’re still rookies. The Bucs can’t rely on them to resurrect the team. Bowles is in a corner and had better have the right solutions. But we all know this.
July 17th, 2026 at 7:28 am
What is Bowles’s reputation? In 14 years his defenses have never been better then 4th or worse than 25th. As a head coach he is 61-74. His playoff record is 1-3.
Is that salvageable?
Considering most head coaches would be unemployed with those numbers, I’d say YES!
Doesn’t take much to salvage that.
What we should be asking is: Can Todd Bowles break tradition and become the head coach we’ve been yearning for—a coach who strikes fear in his opponents with his football knowledge and savvy game planning?
July 17th, 2026 at 7:30 am
Until we see Bain as a full time edge rusher don’t get your hopes up.
If you been a Bucs fan the last few years, you already had nightmares about Bain covering a running back in the flat.
SMH
July 17th, 2026 at 7:38 am
I’m forEVER hearing about what a horrible division the NFC South is–AFC North and NFC East both had fewer victories last year
July 17th, 2026 at 7:41 am
I like the look in his eyes in the picture. I’ll take that for our head coach. He’s stubborn as a mule, and he has a great reputation among football players. That hasn’t wavered.
Both Coach and QB have their weaknesses on our team, but I will take their strengths outweighing their weaknesses any day.
I’m seeing them as being on the same page, and the both of them know what they want to improve this time around and they are working with intent (I wouldn’t mind if it’s ill intent) to make sure last year is soon forgotten.
My brain tells me it may take the first 3 or 4 games to get used to rotations for these new defenders, and about that long for this new Offense to start clicking.
But I bet Bowles and Baker aren’t thinking with my brain. Thankfully. They just want to immediately get the taste of last season washed out of their mouths. I wouldn’t want to be Joe Burrow on opening day. His opponent is ticked off and only one thing is gonna remedy that.
July 17th, 2026 at 7:44 am
Bowles is a horrible HC, a competent HC would win this division with 13 wins every year, his game management alone costs us at least 3 games every season
July 17th, 2026 at 7:56 am
Oh !
It’s never left him !
Coin flip probability KING
The boring professor who you had just after lunch 😴😴😴
Liam Coen was in the building and Jason and the Glazers had one foot on the boat and the other on the dock….
Gone …..
Bandwagon is left holding the bag
July 17th, 2026 at 8:02 am
The apologists will allow Bowles every excuse for why he fails, but results define success or failure. Results from this man when he occupies two critical jobs at the same time are bad. There is no way to sugar coat it. 5 losing seasons out of 8 between two franchises. One playoff win. A ceiling of 10 wins including playoffs. A post bye swoon every year, including the legendary 2025 collapse. A lousy defense for the mastermind. Worst red zone defense in the league last year. When you give up so many passing yards, eventually points scored will correlate. Last season the law of averages came home to roost.
Deliver results. Win the games when the season is on the line so you don’t have to pray for help from the Falcons or Saints. Produce a pass defense that actually covers people and tackles them.
Win.
That would help Bowles restore his reputation.
Go Bucs.
July 17th, 2026 at 8:02 am
What EXACTLY has Bowles done outside of the Superbowl year? And look WHO he had on his roster?
July 17th, 2026 at 8:11 am
Beej——
Collectively, with total wins you are right, but only by a game or two.
When you look at the AFC North you see the Steelers with 10 wins and the Eagles with 11 in the NFC East. Both those divisions are littered with one bad team, the Browns with 5 wins and the Giants with 4, which brings down the collective total drastically.
Meanwhile, our NFC South doesn’t have a single team with a .500 record or better, nor do they have one very bad ream.
In essence, we collectively have no winners. And that jumps out at you when viewing the standings.
So you win with winning totals, but we still are a division without a single winning team.
A matter of perspective rules the day with this one.
July 17th, 2026 at 8:20 am
I had to do a little (full disclosure, very little) research into TB job at Arizona and the Jets. In a nutshell, he did earn his reputation in Arizona as DC and had a great first year with his D at the Jets.
His 2nd Jets year was not quite as good (still top 10’ish) but fell hard the last two years.
Then he gets here, has the Get Aquainted 2019 season where all new staffs of loser franchises get a pass. Then the next year his D goes through the Brees, Rodgers, Mahomes gauntlet in impressive fashion. Easy to get an overblown rep on such a big stage.
It just seems he has earned, lost, earned, lost his reputation many times. That’s why my evaluation of him is he isn’t horrible. He’s a “good” coach, just won’t be good enough. The Daniel Jones of head coaches.
And yes, I do want to be wrong. Crow pie would be delicious. But at this point we are just delaying the inevitable.
July 17th, 2026 at 8:41 am
Bowles would have to take this team deep into the playoffs and I mean to the NFC Championship. He can barely get to .500 against the worst teams in the NFCS. When BA abruptly retired literally giving the job to Bowles the Glazers and JL should have started looking for a new HC then. Instead, they continued with the five finger discount HC/DC.
July 17th, 2026 at 8:50 am
At this time next year, Bowles will be hanging out fishing with another ex Bucs defensive wizard of a head coach, Lovie Smith…
July 17th, 2026 at 8:52 am
Guzzie 55 … ‘a competent HC would win this division with 13 wins every year.’
You obviously believe the talent on this team is a lot higher than I do Guzzie. Disregard Todd Bowles as HC or DC for a moment, the Bucs are an ‘average team’. When we play great offenses, our defense usually struggles. When we play great defenses, our offense usually struggles. In both cases, we MIGHT WIN, but barely; it’s statistically more likely though that we’ll lose.
In other words, we’ve had trouble running with the big dogs. Last year’s example … playing the Pats, Bills & Rams each with their Top-5 offense … cost us 3 wins, and beat the daylights out of our team. We had issues with some starting talent, but even more issues with lack of depth.
Even more importantly though, we’ve struggled against other average teams, especially in the past 4 years under Bowles. Those are ‘must-win’ games, but all too often, we’re NOT winning them. Close but no cigar?
I think we’re gonna see a lot more close games this year, but I’m also HOPEFUL that we’ve mitigated most of our weaknesses by getting ‘bigger & nastier’. We can all speculate at this time of year, but that’s all it is … SPECULATION. Let the games begin!
July 17th, 2026 at 8:52 am
If the NFL South is as bad as everyone claims, for the Bucs to claim they are contenders, they need to win all their Conference games and at least split their remaining non-Conference games. That also means Todd Bowles needs to turn around his defense. Tall task for an 8 wine and 9 loss team last year.
If the Bucs are relatively healthy in 2026 snd accomplish these bench markers, Todd Bowles can claim redemption and get coach for another season
July 17th, 2026 at 8:53 am
To quote Joe… “How many if’s are we talking here?”
July 17th, 2026 at 8:55 am
There’s no other division I’d rather us play in, than one with a chance to win first.
July 17th, 2026 at 9:00 am
There’s zero reason for Todd Bowles to change a thing he’s doing.
Failing upwards has become his art form. Not only was he retained after flopping like a fish in the 24-25 playoffs to the Redskins, he was chosen over Coen.
Then the Glazers decided to extend him before the 2025 season because they were so sure that the guru was on the cusp of greatness.
The 2025 season was Todd’s magnum opus. He showed the world how to ruin a 5-1 start and go 3-8 the rest of the way without losing his job.
It really is impressive how such a complete failure of a HC\DC can put a con job on an organization. He’s even got the Pom Pom squad on board. Pure genius.
July 17th, 2026 at 9:15 am
The reputation of being massively overrated?
July 17th, 2026 at 9:27 am
With his current roster at CB , lack of depth at MLB and a rookie MLB , I Don’t see how Bowles can significantly fix this defense this year. I believe this roster as it stands today is going to show what it has InThe past ,receivers running wide open. In the middle and secondary This defense has 1 cb that can cover and no depth. This defense is still a year or more out .
July 17th, 2026 at 9:34 am
Injuries are the great equalizer. Show me a Bucs team without a pile of injuries and I’ll show you a team that wins a lot more than it loses.
July 17th, 2026 at 9:38 am
Like dog poop on your shoe …
July 17th, 2026 at 10:14 am
Yawn.
HC doesn’t win games. Players do
The Bozo Squad at it again!
July 17th, 2026 at 10:58 am
I only came to read the comments with this one.
JA and Scotty dropping dimes.
Nothing more needs to be posted.
July 17th, 2026 at 1:08 pm
Maybe the site should be re-named Warren Sharp quote fan. I hope he’s getting a commission 🤣.
July 17th, 2026 at 1:11 pm
FIRE THE CLOWN TOILET BOWLES!!!
July 17th, 2026 at 1:18 pm
Can john Harbaugh Andy Reid, Dan Campbell,im sure I missed 2 or 3 more…
July 17th, 2026 at 1:57 pm
The reputation he once had was not truly earned. His reputation is now trending toward reality which is he is NOT an NFL caliber defensive coordinator (or head coach for that matter).
July 17th, 2026 at 2:12 pm
If Bowles can somehow get his head out of his backside for a season, he’ll be allowed to retire in dignity. Do I expect this to happen? No, from what I’ve seen from him the last few years.
July 17th, 2026 at 2:55 pm
@Steve V
Also Shanahan with his mediocre .550 record over 9 seasons, Steichen in Indy, Zac Taylor in Cincy.
Of course those guys and the ones you mentioned are different from Todd in one important way that has nothing to do with football….. Can anyone guess what that is ?
July 17th, 2026 at 3:05 pm
A ” Super Bowl Roster” as the experts say on this blog! UGH!
July 17th, 2026 at 3:10 pm
The only good reputation he had was when he was riding on Bruce Arian’s coat tail. It is as deceiving as Byron Leftwich stock rising after the Super Bowl win. Remember afterwards when Jacksonville was going to hire Leftwich as their new head coach? That deal was almost inked but Leftwich turned it down because he wanted to hire his own GM! But Jacksonville sure wanted him. What ever happened to Waldo?
We ended up with Bowles as head coach because Arians basically handed him the job. What we got is a coach who has never amounted to anything without the coaching help of others. Much like Leftwich.
July 17th, 2026 at 3:15 pm
So, the only thing that has made TB is BA?