OC Byron Leftwich’s Future With The Bucs In Jeopardy

Reports recently surfaced that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have fired offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich following the team’s 31-14 Wild Card loss versus the Dallas Cowboys.

First reported by the Pewter Report, the firing took social media by storm on Tuesday. However, the report has yet to be made official by the team.

In fact, conflicting reports have since surfaced that head coach Todd Bowles has said there have been no decisions made on Leftwich’s future.

Buccaneers Perform “Routine” End of Season Assessment

While there is no official word of Leftwich’s future in Tampa Bay, Bowles made no assurances that the coaching staff would remain intact.

The Bucs’ head coach recently talked about upcoming staff evaluations, saying that potential changes would only be made after them.

Only two years ago, Leftwich was instrumental in the Bucs winning the Super Bowl. He joined the coaching staff in 2019 when Bruce Arians became head coach. In his first three seasons, Leftwich’s offenses were in the top three in points scored.

However this year, it took a turn for the worse as Tom Brady and the offense never really seemed to be on the same page. Headlines flew around the Bucs offense all season, as Brady and Evans always just seemed a step off cue and a non-existent running game that finished last in the league in attempts, yards, touchdowns, yards per attempt.

Now it seems like Bowles has no choice but to change his play-caller after the Bucs’ ranked 25th in NFL scoring.

Potential Replacements for Bucs’ Offensive Coordinator

The chances of Leftwich being let go are high. Leftwich’s offense went from averaging 30 points per game to scoring 30 points or more just twice this season.

While Brady’s contract is over, the decision to fire Leftwich is not related to whether or not the veteran quarterback returns to Tampa Bay.

There are a few potential replacements available for Leftwich, including Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken, Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, and the former Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich.