Todd Bowles enters the 2026 season with plenty of pressure on him in Tampa Bay, and CBS Sports has put that reality into sharp focus. The Buccaneers coach landed as the second-hottest name on the outlet’s NFL hot seat rankings, trailing only New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn.
Bowles has been under the microscope since he replaced Bruce Arians, and the picture around his tenure has been mixed. There have been good stretches, but after the Buccaneers missed the playoffs in 2026, the margin for error looks awfully thin heading into what feels like a defining year.
CBS Sports’ Jordan Dajani pointed directly at the biggest issue.
"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.
He added, "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."
That’s the heart of the concern. Bowles has long been viewed as a defensive coach, but the results on that side of the ball have slipped. The Bucs no longer have the same kind of defensive names they once did - players like Ndamukong Suh, Jason Pierre-Paul or Shaq Barrett - but the expectation around a coach with Bowles’ reputation has not changed.
There has been movement on defense this offseason, and Tampa Bay is hoping those changes finally help everything click. The idea is simple: get the unit back on track and give Bowles a real chance to stabilize his standing.
Dajani also made clear that there is still a path for Bowles to keep his job.
"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."
That kind of rebound would go a long way, especially with the Glazer family’s stance on Bowles in the background. A return to the postseason would very likely improve his chances of staying in place.
The defensive slide is the loudest criticism, but it is not the only one. Bowles has also taken heat at times for game management and decision-making, including issues with timeouts, play calling and personnel choices.
He was better in that area last season, but it had been a problem before he brought in someone whose job was specifically to help him handle those situations.
At the end of the day, the pressure is unavoidable. Bowles may not control every decision made around him, but the results will still land on his desk.
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Instead, Irving was left on the outside of the conversation entirely, not even landing in the honorable-mention tier as other backs such as Breece Hall, Quinshon Judkins, Travis Etienne Jr. and Alvin Kamara drew support. For a player who flashed like a future centerpiece in Tampa Bay, the omission is the kind of slight that tends to linger, especially when the Buccaneers are still trying to figure out just how high Irvings ceiling can be once hes healthy again. [Read more 🡒]