BREAKING: Buccaneers fire Offensive Coordinator Byron Leftwich
Following a season of uncertainty and inconsistency, changes are coming to Tampa Bay as head coach Todd Bowles and the franchise enter the offseason.
According to a report from the Tampa Bay Times, the Buccaneers elected to fire offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich as well as four other offensive assistants and two defensive assistants, on Thursday morning.
The move doesn't come as much of a surprise after a year of head-scratching decisions on offense that hamstrung a unit that sported talents such as Tom Brady, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Leonard Fournette, Tristan Wirfs, etc. Tampa Bay saw a major drop-off on an offense that had been lethal since the Super Bowl run two years ago.
The Buccaneers averaged 405.9 total yards of offense (No. 2 overall), 307.6 passing yards, 98.4 rushing yards and 30.1 points per game in 2021-22. Those numbers took a massive step back this season under Leftwich, falling to a middle-of-the-pack 346.7 total yards of offense (No. 15 overall), 269.8 passing yards, and 76.9 rushing yards per game.
Even more egregious was the lack of points scored as the offense averaged just 18.4 points per contest, which was among the worst in the league. Tampa Bay only scored more than 30 points twice during the regular season and one of those games resulted in a loss.
There was no balance between the passing and running game, which finished last in the NFL. Quarterback Tom Brady led the league in passing attempts during the last two regular seasons, throwing 719 passes in 2021 and 733 passes in 2022. That's compared to just 386 rushing attempts as a team which means the offense was putting it in the air about 65% of the time. Brady tossed a career-high 66 passes in the NFL Wild Card Round loss to the Dallas Cowboys. The number was just shy of the league's playoff record and the most attempts that Brady has ever had in his 20+ year career.
Leftwich originally joined Tampa Bay as offensive coordinator in 2019 as a member of Bruce Arians' inaugural coaching staff with the franchise. Following Arians' decision to step down as head coach and move to the front office, Todd Bowles essentially inherited Leftwich and elected to keep the staff intact entering the season.
It became apparent by midseason that the two parties were no longer match. By making this move less than a week after the season concluded, Tampa Bay will have ample time to explore candidates and entice Brady to stick around in pewter and red for another season.
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