Pete Prisco of CBS Sports is the latest to criticize the job Todd Bowles has done with the Buccaneers this season. Prisco, like many others, believes Bowles' time as Tampa's head coach may be coming to an end.
It is very hard to find anyone who has anything nice to say about Tampa Bay Buccaneers' head coach Todd Bowles these days.
The Bucs were the most popular pick to win the weak NFC South division this year. They looked talented, made a ton of high-profile additions in both free agency and the draft, had multiple impact players returning from their injury-plagued 2025 season, and, perhaps most importantly, still played in a division where eight wins were good enough to win it last season, and eight wins look like they might be enough to win it again this season.
Instead of looking like a playoff team through three games, Tampa has been a train wreck. The team is 0-3, is ranked near the very bottom of NFL power rankings, and will be starting undrafted rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels for at least the next three games after Baker Mayfield dislocated his thumb late in Sunday's brutal loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
If anyone were to look up and down Tampa's roster, they would be hard-pressed to find anyone who has met expectations this season, let alone exceeded them.
Rookie inside linebacker Josiah Trotter and second-year outside linebacker David Walker: That's all I got right now off the top of my head.
While the majority of players have underwhelmed, nobody deserves more blame than head coach Todd Bowles. Once again, Bowles hasn't been able to get his team to play up to its talent level.
If the season ended today, the Bucs would have the top pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
That is not what anyone expected from this team this year, and it is unacceptable.
After Tampa went 2-7 down the stretch last year and missed the playoffs, Bowles started this season already on the hot seat.
After three weeks, Bowles is now sitting on a volcano.
Not only are fans clamoring for him to be replaced, but former Bucs star Gerald McCoy just gave a scathing review of the team's coaching.
Now, Pete Prisco of CBS Sports is getting in on the action. Prisco also believes Bowles' days in Tampa are numbered.
Says Bowles' Seat Is "Searing"
When asked if he thinks Bowles is on the hot seat (is that question really necessary?), Prisco didn't hold back.
Like many others, he picked the Bucs to win their division this season and thought they would play good football. After seeing how the team has performed through three games, Prisco thinks Bowles is not long for the job and is very much on the hot seat.
"That thing is searing underneath him right now, and it should be....They have not played good football at all...They look poorly coached."
No, they haven't played good football. The Bucs have failed to take advantage of the other NFC South teams' struggles. Tampa simply looks like a bad football team.
And they shouldn't be a bad football team, leading Prisco to end by saying he thinks Bowles is in "big trouble."
Final Thoughts
If it seems like everyone is piling on Bowles right now, it's because they are.
The ultimate responsibility for the Bucs' problems falls on his shoulders. Tampa should not be this bad. The Bucs have the talent to win and were overwhelming favorites to win their division this season.
Now the team must turn to an undrafted rookie QB with its season on the line, making the situation even more dire.
With each passing week, it looks more and more likely that Bowles will not survive the season.
