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

QUESTION: How many losses need to happen before Todd Bowles’ seat starts to get hot?

Bucs HC Todd Bowles and OL Nick Leverett – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

ANSWER: That’s a good question. The answer is a lot more losses. Todd Bowles’ record as head coach in Tampa Bay is 11-12 with one playoff loss. Tampa Bay is 3-3 right now with two losses to really good NFC teams in Philadelphia and Detroit and a really bad loss in a winnable game against Atlanta on Sunday.

The Glazers have given every coach they’ve hired at least two years. And I’m curious as to how they view last year, in which Bowles was the hand-picked successor by Bruce Arians. The Bucs had a losing record at 8-9, but won the division. They had a 10-point lead at Atlanta in Week 18 before pulling their starters at halftime and losing the game to finish 8-9 instead of 9-8.

Then, the Bucs lost a home playoff game to the Cowboys. So if the Glazers view last year as a success because Tampa Bay won the division and made the playoffs, then Bowles has a longer leash. Raheem Morris and Dirk Koetter both got three years because Morris’ 2010 team went 10-6 and just missed the playoffs, while the 2016 squad similarly missed the postseason in Koetter’s first year despite a 9-7 record.

The good news for Bowles is that time is on his side. The Bucs are .500 right now with a lot of football left to play. Even after Thursday night’s game, Tampa Bay will stay have 10 games remaining in the season to try to get back on track, score more points and rally to win the division.

QUESTION: Accountability! Where is it at? How many losses will it take for Todd Bowles to get fired? He got the job because his best friend gave it to him. Jason Licht and the owners should’ve interviewed others like any other job.

Bucs GM Jason Licht, co-owners Darcie Glazer Kassewitz and Joel Glazer, head coach Todd Bowles and senior football consultant Bruce Arians – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

ANSWER: There is no doubt that Todd Bowles inherited the head coaching job from Bruce Arians, who abruptly retired on March 30 – two weeks after free agency – and turned the team over to his defensive coordinator. But the Glazers and general manager Jason Licht signed off on the move. All parties were in favor of Bowles’ promotion.

At the time, the move didn’t seem like a bad idea. Tampa Bay was coming off a franchise-best 13-4 record in 2021 and Bowles’ defense played a big role in those 13 wins – not to mention the Bucs’ Super Bowl LV win over the Kansas City Chiefs, keeping Patrick Mahomes out of the end zone.

As previously mentioned, Bowles is now 11-12 as Tampa Bay’s head coach and 3-3 on the year. His defense has been the best unit in Tampa Bay over the past two seasons and has played very well this year, especially in the red zone. The Bucs defense is only allowing 17.3 points per game, which ranks sixth in the NFL. The weakness for Bowles’ defense is third down defense, which ranks dead last in the league.

We’ll see how the Bucs fare down the stretch and if they win enough games to keep him off the hot seat and employed in Tampa Bay for another season. If the Bucs lose their next two games at Buffalo and at Houston, that would be four straight losses and five out of the last six. Then I think Bowles would squarely be on the hot seat at that time.

QUESTION: Can we please stop pretending Baker Mayfield is the future? Todd Bowles needs to go and Dave Canales is overrated.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield and HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: USA Today

ANSWER: I’ve addressed Todd Bowles in the two previous questions, so let’s focus on Baker Mayfield. He’s thrown an interception in each of the last four games now, which is as concerning as Tampa Bay’s 1-3 record in those games.

Still, with eight touchdowns and four interceptions on the year, and with his 65.2% completion percentage, Mayfield isn’t the problem and is not the reason why the Bucs aren’t winning.

At the same time, outside of his three-touchdown performance at New Orleans, Mayfield hasn’t exactly been the solution, either. Is he a difference-maker at quarterback? I don’t think we’ve seen enough to know either way just yet.

Mayfield looked awfully good as a playmaker in road wins at Minnesota and New Orleans. For some reason, that play hasn’t translated at home, where the Bucs are 1-3. We’re not even at the midway point of the year yet, so I’ll reserve judgment on Mayfield’s future in Tampa Bay for a few more weeks.

QUESTION: Is there a reason why we haven’t been throwing any screen passes? What would Scott Reynolds’ grade for Dave Canales be so far this year?

ANSWER: Okay, let’s talk about Dave Canales. The Bucs offense is regressing in terms of scoring touchdowns. After a season-high 26 points and three red zone TDs in New Orleans, the Bucs are 0-4 in their last four trips to the red zone in losses to Detroit and Atlanta. Tampa Bay isn’t going to win without scoring touchdowns.

The running game is awful and there is a lot of blame to go around. Run game coordinator Harold Goodwin and offensive line coach Joe Gilbert are holdovers from last year when the Bucs had the league’s worst rushing attack. They deserve some of the blame.

Bucs RG Cody Mauch, C Robert Hainsey, LG Matt Feiler and QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The interior offensive line, which consists of center Robert Hainsey and guards Matt Feiler and Cody Mauch, doesn’t get much push. While offensive tackles Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke are playing good football, the tight ends can’t block, which hurts perimeter runs. Cade Otton is weak at the point of attack, and Ko Kieft is a one-dimensional tight end, which makes the offense predictable.

And finally, the Bucs don’t have running backs who have the juice to accelerate through the hole or the ability to break tackles and get yards after contact. That’s more of a Jason Licht problem than it is a Canales problem, honestly.

Yet Canales is the offensive coordinator. He gets paid to figure out what’s working and do more of it, and do less of what’s not working. The catch-22 is if he avoids doing what the offense is a weak at, then it will never get better or possibly turn into a team strength.

Canales wisely played to the Bucs’ strength, which is the passing game, against the Falcons and had Baker Mayfield drop back to pass 45 times and only run the ball 17 times. Where Canales has to improve the most is designing and calling plays that produce touchdowns in the red zone. My grade for Canales right now would be in the “D” range and trending downward.

QUESTION: Do we trade for a running back or tank for the draft at this point? What we are doing simply does not work.

Broncos RB Javonte Williams – Photo by: USA Today

ANSWER: I have advocated for the Bucs trading for a running back like Denver’s Javonte Williams or Philadelphia’s Rashaad Penny. From what I’m hearing, the Bucs will pass on Penny, who is buried on the Eagles depth chart. I think that’s a mistake because he knows the offense playing in Seattle for five years and he could be had for a late-round draft pick I’m guessing.

I would love to see the Bucs trade for Broncos running back Javonte Williams, who rushed for 82 yards versus the Packers on Sunday while averaging 5.5 yards per carry. Williams, who was the 35th overall pick in 2021, has a year and half left on his rookie deal and would add a quick, tackle-breaking running back to the Bucs stable and maybe give Tampa Bay’s run game a chance to take off.

But it would likely take a third-round pick to pry Williams out of Denver, where he’s not necessarily on the trading block. General manager Jason Licht has already spent a pair of third-round picks on Ke’Shawn Vaughn and Rachaad White and neither has really panned out.

A third-round pick invested in a proven runner like Williams could pay immediate dividends. Then, he would enter a contract year next season and be highly motivated to have a big year.

At 3-3, the Bucs are not tanking for the draft. I can assure you of that. Despite Sunday’s loss to Atlanta, Tampa Bay is still very much in the mix for the NFC South division title. I don’t expect to see any fire sale trades made by Licht as a result.

QUESTION: Why is Trey Palmer not being used in slant passes when he has the speed?

Bucs WR Trey Palmer – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

ANSWER: That’s a good question. Route usage typically depends on what types of coverages the offense is facing. Slants are seldom used in Tampa Bay’s offense. Per NFL Savant, the Bucs have used slants 7.18% of the time, completing 9-of-13 (69.2%) for 90 yards and a 6.92 average.

The two most commonly called routes are hitches and outs. The Bucs have completed 28-of-35 (80%) hitches for 358 yards and a gain of 10.23 yards per reception. Hitches have been called 19.34% of the time. Tampa Bay has completed 24-of-32 (75%) outs for 216 yards and 6.75 yards per catch. Outs have been used 17.68% of the time.

Trey Palmer does have very good speed, and getting him the ball while moving at full speed is the right call. Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield had two bad misses on two deep shots to Palmer versus the Lions. Perhaps more high-completion throws to Palmer underneath where he can generate yards after catch should be called.