Todd Bowles is a fine head coach, but he's not a great one, and it's clear that he may be overstaying his welcome with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Still in a good spot at 7-5, it's been a rough season for the defense thus far.
And while the injuries have contributed to this, you really don't get the sense that Bowles has been able to adjust all that well. Given how well-built Tampa is and how strong the front office has been, the team doesn't need to rebuild or anything.
Instead, they simply might need a fresh face, and one of these three potential replacements for Todd Bowles could bring a new energy to the franchise that probably needs it.
These three coaches might make more sense than Todd Bowles
Mike McCarthy, ex-Cowboys and Packers head coach
Mike McCarthy was not retained by the Dallas Cowboys following the 2024 NFL Season and is obviously not in the NFL as a head coach right now, but he's a Super Bowl champion and knows how to win football games. He's 174-112-2 as a head coach and recently went 49-35 as the Cowboys head coach from 2020-2024.
He has an 11-11 playoff record, is a strong offensive mind, and is simply someone who has been around for a long time. He's a high-floor, low-ish-ceiling head coach who'd have the Buccaneers back in the playoffs in 2026 with another double-digit win season.
Some have argued that McCarthy should have won more considering his primary QBs have been Aaron Rodgers and Dak Prescott, but 11 double-digit win seasons in 18 years as a head coach seems like a pretty good mark.
Vance Joseph, Denver Broncos defensive coordinator
Vance Joseph was the Denver Broncos head coach in the 2017 and 2018 NFL Seasons, went to Arizona to be their defensive coordinator form 2019-2022, and then returned to Denver, but this time as the DC from 2023 through now. Joseph is now widely regarded as one of the top defensive minds in the NFL on the cusp of earning another head coaching gig.
With the Buccaneers having a ready-made offense, Joseph could, in theory, focus more of his attention on the defensive side of the ball. His creative blitz schemes and lengthy success as a DC with the Cardinals and Broncos makes him a legitimate head coaching candidate.
Jeff Hafley, Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator
Jeff Hafley has been the Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator since the 2024 NFL Season and is an up-and-coming head coaching candidate. The Packers have sported top-tier defenses in each year of his tenure thus far, and, for the same reason as Joseph, Hafley would be able to focus on the defense.
Tampa's offense is oozing with talent when healthy, so it might not take much work to keep that unit in a good spot if regimes change. This coming offseason has to be about fixing the defense, even if Bowles stays, but if Tampa wanted a fresh mind, hiring one of Vance Joseph or Jeff Hafley makes a ton of sense.