Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles on OC Byron Leftwichs future There

Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles on OC Byron Leftwich’s future: ‘There hasn’t been a decision yet’

In particular, the future of offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich is shrouded in doubt after the Bucs’ once-mighty offense ended a season 8-9 in 25th place on points scored.

“No, there wasn’t a decision,” Bowles replied flatly when asked about Leftwich’s status.

Just two years earlier, Leftwich was a leading force with the Buccaneers winning the Super Bowl.

The former NFL quarterback joined the Tampa Bay coaching staff when Bruce Arians became head coach in 2019. In his first three seasons, Leftwich’s offenses finished in the top three points scored.

That year, however, saw an epic downfall as quarterback Tom Brady and the offense never seemed to be in sync. While Brady’s travail and his inability to consistently catch up with Mike Evans and others grabbed most of the headlines, it was a dismal running game that finished bottom in the league in tries, yards, touchdowns and yards per attempt.

“I don’t have an opinion,” Bowles said of Leftwich. “Right now we’re evaluating players. We’re meeting later in the week as a coaching staff. I’ll be meeting with individual coaches as well as the staff, which we do every year, and we’ll then make those assessments.”

Despite winning their second straight NFC South title, the Bucs were a postseason product of the league’s worst division. Therefore, they won a division despite being outscored 358-313.

Bowles, who ended his first season as Bucs head coach after taking over for a retired Arian, handled defense this season and was helpless on offense. Alongside Leftwich as OC, Harold Goodwin was the assistant head coach/run game coordinator.

With offensive fighting across the board, it’s not inconceivable that a major offensive staff overhaul could be on the cards.

No changes have been made aboard the Bucs at the moment, but the coming days could change all that.