Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Bob Donnan

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Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds answers your questions from the @PewterReport X account this week in the Bucs Mailbag. Submit your question to SR each week via X using the hashtag #PRMailbag.  Here are the Bucs questions we chose to answer for this week’s edition.

QUESTION: This team has preached about getting the offense healthy. They’re all back for this game and Tetairoa McMillan outdid the entire Bucs WRs by himself. How is this acceptable for Todd Bowles to give the okay on this game plan? This staff is inept. No trust in Baker Mayfield, I guess.

ANSWER: It’s not just you who was perplexed with the offensive game plan. It was myself and Pewter Report’s Josh Queipo, too. Queipo wrote a great column lambasting the Bucs’ offensive gameplan for the Panthers game, which was literally offensive and only produced 20 points. I thought this team’s strength was the wide receiver position? You know, the two first-round picks and the two third-round picks? Mike Evans and Chris Godwin – the top two receivers of all time in franchise history, plus Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan?

For some reason, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles and offensive play-caller Josh Grizzard decided to force-feed running back Bucky Irving – again. I love Irving, but he’s not having the same success this year running between the tackles – likely because he’s not getting the same clean blocks in the interior that he received last year when guards Ben Bredeson and Cody Mauch were healthy. Irving has averaged just 3.68 yards per carry over the last four games since his return to action – and he’s failed to average 4.0 yards per carry in any of them. At 192 pounds, he’s easier to tackle than the Bucs’ other bigger backs if he fails to make defenders miss.

Panthers WR Tetairoa McMillan – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Jim Dedmon

By the way, Rachaad White has averaged 6.57 yards per carry on 19 carries over the last four games. White is still the Bucs’ leading rusher and ripped off a 20-yard run against the Falcons on his only carry last week. On his first carry at Carolina, he ran for a season-long 39-yard run, yet only got four more carries the rest of the game and finished with five carries for 45 yards (9.0 avg.), while Irving had 19 carries for 71 yards (3.7 avg.) versus the Panthers.

As for Tetairoa McMillan, the Panthers’ rookie receiver, he just about out-produced the Bucs’ entire receiving corps. McMillan had six catches for 73 yards and a touchdown, while Evans, Godwin, Egbuka and McMillan all combined for 13 catches and 116 yards and a touchdown on Sunday. Bowles’ stated goal was to run the ball 30 times and win the time of possession. Yet while doing so, that approach only produced 20 points, which was not enough to beat the Panthers in the 23-20 loss.

QUESTION: Injuries can’t be an excuse. No team at 6-2 should go 1-6 after a bye. That is a sign of a coach who can’t adapt and take you to a Super Bowl. Based on Todd Bowles’ halftime statement it seems like he had a lot to do with the offensive gameplan. There has to be a change, right?

ANSWER: The only thing stopping a total free-fall down the stretch since the bye week was a 20-17 win over a three-win Arizona team. Outside of that blip on the radar, it’s been six losses in seven games and head coach Todd Bowles does not seem to have the answers on how to fix this team. He’s even appeared bewildered at the podium after games and even during his day-after-game press conferences. We certainly have not seen much adapting since this team’s 6-2 start.

Given what has occurred not just this season, but in each of Bowles’ four seasons in Tampa Bay, it always comes down to winning the NFC South – the worst division in football – at the very end of the year. There were times when the Bucs had a multi-game lead in the division, especially since taking the lead in the NFC South back in Week 1.

Bucs RB Bucky Irving – Photo by: IMAGN – Bob Donnan

Even after losing three straight games coming out of the bye week, had the Bucs beaten the Saints and Falcons at home and not just the Cardinals, Tampa Bay would have been 9-5 heading to Carolina. Had the Bucs won yesterday in that scenario, the division could have been clinched in Week 16. Now the Bucs have to either win out and win the division at 9-8 or if they lose next week in Miami, Tampa Bay has to hope Carolina loses to Seattle in Week 17 and then beat the Panthers at home in Week 18 with the division on the line.

Under that scenario, Bowles and Co. would win the NFC South again at 8-9, which is what happened back in 2022 during Tom Brady’s final season. Winning a division title with a sub-.500 record feels very hollow and would be a clear sign of regression from last year’s 10-7 record.

QUESTION: SR, that clip of Jon Gruden creating mutiny and putting the 2002 defense on notice gave me chills in the Raise The Flags documentary. That kind of daily expectation to be great is needed. I think he could be successful a second term, given Jason Licht is here and no upcoming cap hell with aging veterans. Gruden sets standard.

ANSWER: I have immensely enjoyed watching Trent Cooper’s Raise The Flags docuseries on Amazon Prime. Since beginning my career in 1995, I’ve covered the last 30 years of this franchise’s 50 years of existence. Looking back at the glory days from the end of the Tony Dungy era and the beginning of the Jon Gruden era, it’s not just the Hall of Fame talent that is the glaring difference between those old Bucs legends and the current team under Todd Bowles. It’s the difference in mentality that is the stark contrast for me.

I think Bowles’ team wants to win. But the vibe during that 2002 season was that the Bucs were going to win. Losing was not an option and winning was non-negotiable. Winning was an expectation and I remember driving to Raymond James Stadium knowing that the Jon Gruden Bucs were going to win – it was just a question of by how much? Gruden definitely set a high standard and won a Super Bowl, won three division titles and surpassed Dungy for the most wins in franchise history.

Former Bucs head coach Jon Gruden – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Yet Gruden has had his name removed from the Bucs Ring of Honor as he fell out of favor with the Glazers for a period of time, only to reconcile within the last year and have his name placed back on the walls of the stadium. Gruden has been heavily involved with a lot of promotional aspects surrounding the team’s 50th anniversary, too. Do Gruden and the Glazers want to risk possibly tarnish his legacy by having him back as head coach replacing Bowles in an attempt to recapture past glory?

Joe Gibbs tried coming back to the Redskins in 2004 at age 64 after he retired in 1992. Gibbs went 6-10, 10-6, 5-11 and 9-7 before retiring for good at age 67 following the 2007 season. Washington’s lone playoff appearance came in 2005 when the Redskins beat the Gruden-led Bucs in Tampa Bay before losing at Seattle the following week in the next round of the postseason. It’s hard to come back and recapture the magic.

Gruden is now 62 and he’s tried a comeback before. In 2018, he returned to the Raiders, going 4-12 and 7-9 in Oakland before the franchise moved to Las Vegas. He went 8-8 in the first season there before being fired after a 3-2 start in 2021 following the public disclosure of some offensive e-mails. Gruden wants to get back into the league as a head coach rather than just an offensive coordinator, and has found fame and success on social media working with Barstool Sports. But would the Glazers entertain the idea? And is it the right move to bring him back?

Bucs GM Jason Licht with ex-coach Jon Gruden – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Gruden’s strength is motivation and his offensive mind. But he’s very hands off when it comes to defense and would need to pick the right defensive coordinator to fix this broken unit that can’t rush the passer or create takeaways on a regular basis. He’s also not good when it comes to evaluating talent, especially coming out of college. During his seven years in Tampa Bay from 2002-08, the Bucs drafted just one Pro Bowler in right guard Davin Joseph, who was a first-round pick in 2006. Yet he loves working with veteran quarterbacks and I’d love to see how Gruden and Baker Mayfield would work together.

There is no doubt that Jason Licht would have to stay on as general manager, but then how well would they work together as Gruden likes to be in charge? I would not be opposed to the idea if Bowles is fired and the Glazers are interested in bringing Gruden back, and I’m curious about how it would all work out. I’m a big Gruden supporter, but I can’t necessarily say that would be my first option if a coaching change occurred. Football is a young man’s game and always will be, and I would also explore some younger coaches who are just as energetic as Gruden is and perhaps are more innovative.

QUESTION: Talk me off the ledge – overreaction time. What is there to be happy about? Is the D-line getting any pressure? Minus two sacks, it sure seems like it’s all missed tackles and all day to throw. Is there anything the Bucs defense is doing well right now?

ANSWER: No, there isn’t one thing the Bucs defense is doing well. Tampa Bay’s defense hasn’t played well since before the bye week outside of maybe the 20-17 win over Arizona. Todd Bowles’ defense cannot consistently rush the passer nor can it consistently take the ball away. Over the past five games the Bucs defense has only forced four takeaways and the offense has turned it over five times during that span. Tampa Bay lost the turnover battle 1-0 in Carolina in Sunday’s 23-20 loss.

Bucs DT Vita Vea and Panthers QB Bryce Young – Photo by: IMAGN – Bob Donnan

The Bucs don’t have an ace pass rusher or even a top interceptor. Despite the fact that the main players in Tampa Bay’s current defense consists of two first-rounders (Haason Reddick and Vita Vea), four second-rounders (Lavonte David, Antoine Winfield Jr., Logan Hall and Chris Braswell) and four third-rounders (Jamel Dean, Yaya Diaby, Tykee Smith and Jacob Parrish), the Bucs don’t have a single defender who will sniff a Pro Bowl this year. I don’t think the unit is particularly coached well.

Since the bye week, Tampa Bay’s defense has allowed an average of 27 points per game. That’s up from allowing 20.5 points per game during the team’s 6-2 start in the first half of the 2025 season. Giving up an extra touchdown on average since the bye week has been damaging considering the Bucs have lost by five points to the Patriots, lost by four to the Saints, lost by one point to the Falcons and lost by three points to the Panthers. Flip those four losses into wins and Tampa Bay is 11-4 right now instead of 7-8.

QUESTION: The feeling is we are probably going to have a coaching change. Which would you prefer – another defensive head coach to fix our dismal defense or an offensive head coach, which could take our team to the next level?

ANSWER: I know everyone seeking a head coaching change wants an offensive-minded head coach, especially after seeing former offensive coordinators Dave Canales and Liam Coen leave Tampa Bay after one season to become head coaches. The problem is there is no Ben Johnson or Coen available in this 2026 head coaching candidate cycle. Seattle offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is the most talked about name fitting that criteria, but he is a very soft-spoken guy and not overly energetic. He’s a good schemer, but is he a good leader?

Being a successful head coach is more than just being a good play-caller. It is being the leader of an entire football team – offense, defense and special teams – and setting the right tone for success. The 2026 candidate cycle features more defensive coordinators who are up for head coaching jobs. Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula are among the top names. You are asking me if Todd Bowles were to get fired, who would I choose?

Rams DC Chris Shula – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Mark J. Rebilas

I haven’t completed by research into all of the candidates, but I have to say I’m intrigued by Shula the most right now. He’s the son of former Bengals head coach Dave Shula and grew up with a football in his crib. He’s been groomed in the Sean McVay way of doing things, and has been around the likes of Brandon Staley, Raheem Morris, Liam Coen and others who went on to become head coaches from the McVay-Rams tree. He’s young, energetic, innovative and inventive. Tampa Bay’s defense is broken and needs more repair than the Bucs offense does.

I think Shula could do a good job and then maybe bring Rams pass game coordinator Nathan Scheelhaas with him to call plays on offense. With Shula’s ties to L.A., if Scheelhaas eventually left to become a head coach elsewhere, he could just tap back into McVay’s system at any time and grab the next non-play-calling offensive coordinator or pass game coordinator, as McVay calls the plays out in L.A.

The other name I would consider would be former Bucs wide receivers coach and offensive play-caller Todd Monken. He’s an outspoken, no-nonsense leader of men the way Bruce Arians was. He helped develop Mike Evans and Chris Godwin in Tampa Bay, was Baker Mayfield’s offensive coordinator in Cleveland in 2021,  won national championships at Georgia with Bucs wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon and Tykee Smith, and is currently the Ravens offensive coordinator. Monken is a great offensive play-caller, but he’ll turn 60 next year.