NFL

Buccaneers fire offensive coordinator Leftwich in coaching overhaul

By Sports Desk January 19, 2023

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have fired offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich as part of a slew of changes made by head coach Todd Bowles.

After an 8-9 regular season and swift exit from the playoffs, the Bucs will assemble a new-look coaching staff for the 2023 season with several notable departures.

Leftwich was among six coaches to be dismissed, along with running backs coach Todd McNair and assistant defensive line coach Lori Locust.

The Buccaneers have also lost three coaches to retirement, quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen among them, with Bowles plotting for the future after falling short of their objectives.

"We appreciate the hard work and contributions that all of these coaches made to our successes over the past four seasons," he said.

"As a collective group, we did not meet the high standards that had been set for this past year and my focus now is on doing what is needed to ensure a successful 2023 season.

"These were very difficult decisions but something that I felt was necessary for our football team going forward."

In the first of four seasons with Leftwich running the offense, Jameis Winston threw for 5,109 yards.

Tom Brady's first year alongside Leftwich saw the Buccaneers win Super Bowl LV, but Tampa Bay lost in the 2021 Divisional Round, and signs of a decline started to emerge.

Injuries ravaged the Tampa Bay offensive line in 2022 and the team struggled to find a rhythm, looking at their best when forced to run the two-minute drill, where Brady stepped up.

The Buccaneers' turnover ahead of 2023 may not just be in the coaching department, with Brady's status uncertain, so a significant rebuild is on the cards.

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