Back-To-Normal Consensus For Todd Bowles
June 27th, 2025
Joe has listened to a wide variety of national takes on Team Glazer extending the contract of head coach Todd Bowles yesterday through 2028.
One theme has run through most of the analysis: Bowles’ miserable defense last season was an anomaly and he’s sure to right the defensive pirate ship this year.
“If you go and look at the history of Todd Bowles defenses, it’s probably going to get better. Like [2024 is] one of the worst defenses he’s ever fielded,” ESPN NFL data nerd Ben Solak told the NFL Daily podcast. “He’s a pretty reliably good defensive coach, has a system that’s been working for a long time, they invested a ton in that back-7. So I think that defense is going to take a step back to normalcy.”
Could it be that simple?
With Antoine Winfield healthy and Hassan Reddick added to upgrade the edge rusher, along with a healthy injection of cornerback depth and legitimate inside linebackers, might that be enough to bring the defense back to where it was in 2022?
Back then, with Tom Brady bumbling and stumbling to craft gameplans with offensive non-guru Byron Leftwich, the Bucs averaged 18.4 points per game and won the NFC South. Last year, the Bucs averaged 29.5 points and won the division with little defense.
Pair a “normal” Bowles defense with the Bucs’ loaded offense and special things should happen.
If not, well, Team Glazer seems ready to give Bowles more years to figure it out.
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