Tampa Bay Buccaneers need to write Todd Bowles a blank check

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are off to their best start in years, and a large part of that credit is due to their defensive coordinator, Todd Bowles.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers currently have one of the best defenses in the NFL. No, it isn’t the late 90s or early 2000s, but the Buccaneers have returned to their former glory on that side of the ball. Throughout its short history as a franchise, the Buccaneers have been mostly known as a defensive team, and Todd Bowles has done right by that precedent.

Tampa Bay’s defense has been lights-out to start the season. All-Pro caliber players like Alvin Kamara, Christian McCaffrey, Aaron Rodgers, and Michael Thomas have been shut down by this unit, which is a testament to the defense’s versatility in all facets of the game.

The run defense was stellar last year, but 2020 has brought the Buccaneers to the forefront of the league in its capabilities versus the pass. The same team that was getting burnt last season by mediocre quarterbacks and receivers is now keeping some of the best players in the league shut down.

While the players do deserve some of the credit, most of the improvements on the defensive side of the ball have come from Todd Bowles.