Buccaneers' Todd Bowles Near Top Of NFL Hot Seat Rankings Entering 2026

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles has been under scrutiny since taking over as the head man after the retirement of Bruce Arians.

There has been good and bad in the Bowles era for the Bucs, but the defensive-minded head coach now finds himself in a precarious situation as he enters the 2026 season.

After missing out on the playoffs in 2026, Bowles now finds himself in what seems like a make-or-break year to retain his title as head coach, landing on CBS Sports' hot seat rankings as the second hottest seat in the league behind New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn.

Heat Check on Todd Bowles' Defense

"The offense has great potential with weapons such as Bucky Irving and Emeka Egbuka, but Bowles' defense has to be better," wrote CBS Sports' Jordan Dajani.

"In fact, his unit hasn't finished in the top half of the league in total defense since the Tom Brady days... The Buccaneers were the best team in the worst division last year and still failed to make the playoffs. It was a failure, and another one could lead the franchise to make a change."

Tampa Bay Buccaneers HC Todd Bowle — Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dajani hits the nail on the head. One of the main sticking points over the past few years, since Bowles took over, has been the steady decline in his defense's level of play.

Yes, he doesn't quite have players like Ndamukong Suh, Jason Pierre-Paul or Shaq Barrett roaming the field. Still, for a coach who has consistently been called a defensive guru, mastermind, genius or whatever other word that fits, more is expected.

While there is much to be expected, major change has happened on that side of the ball for Bowles and the Bucs this offseason, with the hope being that they can finally put all the pieces together.

Bowles' Job Can Be Saved

While Bowles' seat is truthfully one of the hottest as we enter 2026, Dajani explains that there is optimism that can lead to him retaining his position beyond this upcoming season.

"If Mayfield, his offensive line and his supporting cast can stay healthy, no one would be surprised to see the Buccaneers return to the top of the division in 2026. That would save Bowles' job."

It's never a foregone conclusion that seeing a bounce back will allow a coach to keep his position, but knowing the Glazer family's feelings about Bowles, a return to the postseason would very likely help him keep his place.

Another Factor Can Play a Role

While Dajani pointed out the obvious in Bowles' defense sliding over the past few seasons, one could also point to the lapses and questionable decision-making from him as head coach.

Last season, Bowles did a much better job of game management and not putting his team in bad positions, but that had been a problem before he hired someone who solely focused on helping him in those situations.

Whether it was non-usage of timeouts, bad play calling or leaving players in that maybe shouldn't have been, Bowles has been at the forefront of those decisions.

Now, one can make the argument that it wasn't always his call, sure, but at the end of the day, whatever happens with your team on or off the field, it will always lie on the shoulders of the man in charge.

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