A shakeup could be in the offing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers following a disappointing 2022 season that ended with a thud in Monday's drubbing at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys.
On Tuesday, speculation swirled that offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich could be shown the door after at least two unconfirmed reports indicated that it was in the works.
However, head coach Todd Bowles was noncommittal during his season-ending press conference, saying that no decision had been made regarding Leftwich or any other coaches.
The prospect of Leftwich's dismissal would seem to mark a stunning reversal after he was widely reported to be a head coaching candidate following three consecutive years of stewarding high-powered offenses in Tampa -- a run that included a Super Bowl title in 2020.
Last year, reports surfaced indicating that Leftwich and quarterback Tom Brady were the mad scientists behind the Bucs' prolific offensive attack, largely devising the weekly game plan with little input from former head coach Bruce Arians.
But, this season, Brady and the Bucs regressed sharply under new head coach Todd Bowles. With many assuming Bowles would get more than one year at the helm, the next logical question was to wonder about the possibility that Bowles would seek to rebuild the coaching staff to his own liking following his promotion last offseason.
Of course, injuries and roster attrition played a significant role in the Bucs taking a step back, but the offense seemed especially out of sync for most of this season. As the saying goes, you can't fire the players.
On social media, the idea that Leftwich could pay the price with his job for the Bucs' failings in 2022 was met with mixed reactions.
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