2022 NFL: Worst offseason move for each of the 32 teams

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Promoting the wrong coordinator

It was an interesting offseason for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who nearly had to say goodbye to Tom Brady after just two years. Brady decided he was done and announced his retirement, only to change his mind a few weeks later.

In addition to Brady coming back, the team announced Bruce Arians was giving up his job as head coach and moving into a front-office role. With him out, the Bucs turned to Todd Bowles who had been the defensive coordinator since the 2019 season.

With all due respect to Bowles, who is a great coordinator, this was the wrong promotion to make. Tampa Bay should have roled with their offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich — and there are a few reasons to do so.

One is the fact that Leftwich is simply younger. The 42-year-old would have been in the role much longer than the 58-year-old Bowles. On top of that, Leftwich is a hot name in the coaching ranks, meaning another team is bound to snatch him up sooner rather than later, whereas Bowles most likely would have stayed in his role for a longer time.

Again, Bowles is a great defensive play-caller but he’s been an NFL head coach and is 26-41 in his career. He’s bound to win more with Tom Brady under center but Leftwich could have continued to win even after Brady leaves, and would have given them a better shot at developing a young replacement.