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Todd Bowles Offers Contrarian Opinion on Eagles' Tush Push Play Amid Ban Proposal

Tim Capurso

Bowles speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine.
Bowles speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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In the wake of news that the Green Bay Packers proposed a ban of the tush push, a play popularized and ran to great success by the Philadelphia Eagles, coaches around the league, holding court with media ahead of the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, have shared their opinions on the matter.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles's opinion seems to be a contrarian one among the defensive-minded coaches in the league. While acknowledging the potential safety concerns with the tush push, Bowles on Tuesday told Mike Florio and Chris Simms on ProFootballTalk Live that he's "all for" the play from a purely football standpoint.

"The safety of it is always going to be a question because it’s a rugby-style play, but I have nothing against it," Bowles said. "You found guys that are being creative and found the niche and how to gain an edge in this league and that’s what we as coaches try to do on a daily basis.

"Now it’s up to defensive coaches to try to gain an edge to try to stop it. That’s the challenge of it every time someone brings something new whether it’s offense or defense. I’m all for it that way."

Bowles's opinion is a stark contrast to those of fellow defensive-minded coaches in the Buffalo Bills' Sean McDermott, who expressed safety concerns with the play, and the Atlanta Falcons' Raheem Morris, who simply believes the act of pushing a player should be illegal.

A sort of modified QB sneak, the play pits Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts under center with the halfback and two players, usually a tight end or receiver, lined up in the backfield. Hurts launches forward at the snap behind the Eagles' bulldozing offensive line, and the players in the backfield push his rear into the rugby-like scrum that ensues at the line of scrimmage.

The Eagles first began running the play in the 2022 season and, over the course of the '22 and '23 campaigns, had an 86 percent success rate when running the play, compared to the league average of 76 percent in that time span.

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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