The Buccaneers’ 1-4 start has Todd Bowles squarely in the crosshairs, but according to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, Tampa Bay’s next month may decide everything.
Bowles’ path to keeping his job appears narrow: the Buccaneers need to remain alive in the NFC South while Baker Mayfield is out. If they can do that, Barnwell says Bowles could still be back in 2027. If not, the runway may be too short.
"If Bowles can stick in the NFC South race and stay afloat. until Mayfield returns, he should be back in 2027," Barnwell writes. "If Tampa goes on another losing streak, though, Bowles might have to walk the plank."
That Week 5 win over the Cowboys bought Bowles some time. It was a primetime victory and, for now, it postponed any immediate conversation about a coaching change.
The next stretch is where things get real. Tampa Bay faces the Steelers in Week 6, then gets the Panthers, Falcons and Bears before its Week 10 bye. To have a realistic shot at staying in the mix, the Buccaneers probably need to go 2-2 in that four-game run.
Anything worse could turn the season into a steep climb. A 1-3 stretch would leave Tampa Bay at 2-7 heading into the bye, a record that likely would not be enough to keep the team in the hunt.
Even if Mayfield returns soon, the hole might already be too deep for Bowles to climb out of. But if the Buccaneers can beat the Falcons and Panthers and keep themselves in the NFC South race over the next four weeks, Bowles may still have a shot to stay on for another year.
Right now, though, the trend is pointing the other way. Bowles still has a chance to save his job, but the next few weeks could determine whether he remains the Buccaneers’ head coach beyond the 2026 season.
In Other News...
Bucs Face A Troubling Week 6 Health Question At The Worst Time
The Buccaneers are entering Week 6 with the sort of injury report nobody wants to see this late in the week, especially with a Steelers matchup looming. Both teams are dealing with a cluster of key health concerns, but Tampa Bays issues are the ones that stand out most because they touch both sides of the ball and come at a time when every practice rep matters.
Baker Mayfield did not practice while still recovering from the dislocated thumb he suffered in Week 3, leaving the offense with an obvious question at quarterback as preparations continue. On the other side of the defense, Antoine Winfield Jr. is expected to miss 2-4 weeks with a rib injury, a setback that further complicates the secondary just as the Buccaneers try to steady themselves for a difficult stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Miss Keeps Getting Harder To Ignore As Former Pick Slips Again
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The latest step is a tough one for a former premium pick trying to stick in the league. Braswell was waived by Houston, leaving him back in free-agent territory and searching for his next chance after already bouncing once from Tampa Bay to the Texans. For the Buccaneers, it is another reminder that some draft misses linger long after the original decision is made. [Read more 🡒]
Tomlin Just Twisted The Knife On Dallas After Bucs Exposed Them
The Cowboys defense has been searching for answers through the first five weeks, and the frustration spilled into a players-only meeting as the group tried to sort out what has gone wrong. For Tampa Bay, which helped expose those issues on the field, it only added another layer to a growing NFC storyline: Dallas is still trying to steady a unit that has not looked like itself, and the pressure is mounting fast.
Mike Tomlin then added to the noise with a blunt take on players-only meetings during a podcast appearance, casting doubt on whether they ever fix much at all. It was the kind of comment that lands harder when a defense is already on edge, and Dallas now heads into its Week 6 matchup with Green Bay needing more than just another conversation to show real progress. [Read more 🡒]