No team wants to start their season with a cold streak, but it’s better than ending the campaign with a loss. Yet, for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, their 0-4 start is more than just concerning; it might be foreshadowing a season that’s over before it ever really began.
Only one team, the 1992 Chargers, reached the postseason after a 0-4 start to their season. There’s been nothing to suggest that this 2026 Buccaneers team is special enough to make history. Teams rarely make coaching changes after four games, but after the Bucs struggled their way to an 8-9 record last season, coach Bowles has to realize he’s on the hot seat. Now others are joining in on the speculation.
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Albert Breer Suggests Tampa Bay Buccaneers Could Fire Todd Bowles Soon
Oct 4, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles looks on during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn ImagesCredit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Bowles is in his fifth season as the Buccaneers’ head coach. He’s led them to an 8-9 record twice, the first of which was good enough to win the NFC South. He’s also led a 9-8 season and a 10-7 season, both of which earned the Bucs a trip to the playoffs. Overall, he’s led Tampa Bay to a 35-37 record in the regular season, and a 1-3 mark in the playoffs. Neither standing is particularly impressive, nor is it enough to suggest he can’t still figure things out, even if the playoffs are likely out of the question this year.
Nevertheless, as the losses pile up, there’s been increased chatter about the Buccaneers firing Bowles and later hiring a new head coach during the offseason.
On Monday, Sports Illustrated‘s NFL insider Albert Breer highlighted the possibility of the Bucs moving on from Bowles, presumably in the near future. The Buccaneers’ next test is right around the corner, as Bowles’ team travels to Dallas to take on a 2-2 Cowboys team with a top-five offense. Would the Bucs make a change if they fall to 0-5 with another uninspiring loss in primetime?
“It’s starting to feel like change is coming in Tampa. We’ve seen in the past how bad showings in stand-alone games can prompt those sorts of things—and the Buccaneers travel to Dallas for a Thursday night game this week.”
Albert Breer on Todd Bowles
Breer isn’t the only NFL insider questioning the Bucs’ loyalty to Bowles after a cold spell. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio has his own doubts about how much longer Tampa Bay will stick by the 62-year-old coach.
He suggests the team could use the long stretch after the upcoming Week 5 matchup on Oct. 8 and before their Week 6 matchup on Oct. 18 to make their change. Yet, the question of who would take over for Bowles could make the Buccaneers hesitant to pull the cord.
“Then comes the mini-bye, which provides an opportunity for the Bucs to make a coaching change. There’s a benefit to an in-season termination; it gives the team a longer runway to search for the next coach. Working in Bowles’s benefit is the fact that there’s no clear candidate on his staff to serve as the interim head coach. There’s no defensive coordinator. Offensive coordinator Zac Robinson is in his first year with the team, after being fired by the Falcons. The special-teams coordinator is Danny Smith. The Bucs could go outside the organization for an interim hire. Or the Bucs could just ride it out, quietly planning for a new direction in 2027 while allowing the balance of 2026 to play itself out.”
Mike Florio on Coach Bowles
The Buccaneers likely don’t know what they want to do yet either. In a perfect world, Bowles will get his team to play better, emerging with a win against the Cowboys, but how much more of a leash would that grant him? A 1-4 start isn’t much better than 0-4, but it would at least give the coach a chance to see if he can turn the season around, even if that outlook currently looks grim.
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Dedicated NFL copywriter/editor. My work has been found on Sportsnaut, Sports Illustrated, Sporting News, MSN, Yahoo, and Minnesota Sports … More about Andrew Buller-Russ