Bucs Gameday

Bucs HC Todd Bowles 'Contender To Be The First Coach Fired' During 2023 NFL Season

Another rocky start to the season could result in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers making an in-season change at head coach.

David Harrison

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may do something they've never done in franchise history if the team doesn't do well this upcoming season. 

"The Buccaneers open up with a difficult four-game stretch to start the season," writes 33rd Team's Ryan Reynolds. "They could easily go 1-3 entering their Week 5 bye. If the Buccaneers get off to a disastrous start, their early bye week presents an opportunity for a coaching change. Bowles is a contender to be the first coach fired."

READ MORE: Tampa Bay's 2023 NFL Schedule

Tampa Bay opens the season on the road against the Minnesota Vikings before coming home for back-to-back home games against the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles. 

READ MORE: Buccaneers 2023 Win Total Projection

Finally, the Bucs head to New Orleans for a Week 4 NFC South Division matchup they've struggled to find success in recent years.

While the Vikings and Eagles are both 2022 NFL Playoffs teams neither the Bears nor the Saints saw postseason action last year. 

However, with quarterback Baker Mayfield expected to lead the Buccaneers into the regular season he's being viewed as a downgrade from last year's starting quarterback while New Orleans has an upgrade in Derek Carr who signed on after being released by the Las Vegas Raiders. 

That upgrade, along with the depth of degradation expected following the departure of Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady from Tampa have the Saints favored to win the NFC South and project Tampa Bay to finish last or near it.

Being underdogs in three of their first four games won't help the Buccaneers impress early, but we'd rather wager the franchise won't make Bowles its first in-season head coach firing than we would the team will lose three or more of those first four games. 

Find David Harrison on Twitter @DHarrison82

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David Harrison
DAVID HARRISON

David Harrison has been in sports media since 2015 using written, audio, and video media to cover athletes, coaches, and games. In addition to covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for BucsGameday and Locked On Bucs he also covers the Washington Commanders for Commander Country and Locked On Commanders and the Washington Wizards for Inside the Wizards. David also covers the NFL as a whole as one of the Friday hosts for Locked On NFL. He is a graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and previously spent 20 years as an active member of the United States Army. Contact David via email at david.w.harrison82@gmail.com or on Twitter @DHarrison82.