Todd Bowles and the Buccaneers are clearing house.
Bowles shook up his staff on Thursday, firing five assistant coaches as part of an apparent overhaul for next season.
The Buccaneers let go of offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard, special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey, quarterbacks coach Thaddeus Lewis, defensive line coach Charlie Strong and cornerbacks coach Kevin Ross on Thursday morning.
“These decisions are always difficult, but the disappointing end to the season required some changes to our coaching staff in order to ensure we live up to the high standards we have set here,” Bowles said in a statement released by Tampa Bay. “These coaches have all put in tremendous amount of work and effort, but unfortunately, the results were not there this past season.
“Our goal is to compete for championships every year, and it is my responsibility to make these tough decisions in order to reach those expectations. I want to thank these coaches for all that they have contributed to our success over the years, and I wish them well.”
The massive coaching shakeup comes after a mediocre 8-9 season that saw the Bucs miss the postseason for the first time since 2019.
Bowles signed an extension to remain at the helm of the Bucs through the 2028 season in June after leading the team to three straight NFC South titles from 2022-24.
“It’s unfortunate we didn’t come away with more wins to make the playoffs,” Bowles said, per ESPN. “It doesn’t matter who was back and who wasn’t back, we just didn’t play well enough to win those games. … As we unravel everything in the next couple of days and couple of weeks, we’ll see.”
Bowles will now have to search for the Bucs’ fifth offensive coordinator in five seasons, along with potentially hiring a dedicated defensive coordinator, as the head coach has been calling plays on defense since 2019, ESPN reported.
Tampa Bay allowed 28.2 yards per kick return this season, good for third-worst in the league, under McGaughey, and also tied for the most field goals blocked by their opponents.
With Grizzard at offensive coordinator this season, the Bucs saw a sharp decrease in offensive points per game — down to 21.4 compared to 28.8 the year prior — along with sinking to a 41.2 percent third-down conversion rate.
