Lead: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced sweeping coaching-staff changes Thursday as Todd Bowles prepares for his fifth season as head coach in 2026. The team parted ways with five assistants — including offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard and special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey — while two longtime coaches, Tom Moore and Nick Rapone, elected to retire. The moves follow an 8-9 2025 campaign that ended with the Bucs losing the NFC South on a tiebreaker and snapping a multi-year run of division titles and playoff appearances. Management framed the changes as necessary to restore the club to championship-level standards.
- Key Takeaways:
- Tampa Bay dismissed five assistants on Thursday, notably Josh Grizzard (offense) and Thomas McGaughey (special teams), and did not retain Thaddeus Lewis (quarterbacks), Kevin Ross (cornerbacks) and Charlie Strong (defensive line).
- Senior Offensive Assistant Tom Moore and Safeties Coach Nick Rapone announced retirements; Moore concluded a coaching career spanning more than six decades, including 48 NFL seasons and seven years with the Bucs.
- The Buccaneers finished 2025 at 8-9, losing the NFC South to the Carolina Panthers on a tiebreaker on the final afternoon and ending a streak of five straight playoff berths and four straight division titles.
- Offense regressed in 2025 after a top-five performance in 2024: rankings fell to 18th in scoring, 21st in total yards, 21st in rushing yards and 20th in passing yards.
- Special teams issues included five blocked kicks (three field-goal attempts, two punts) and a 30th-place finish in average kickoff return yards allowed; late-season kickoff strategy produced a costly 47-yard return in Week 17 at Miami.
- Defensively, the Bucs were 21st in points allowed and 19th in yards allowed in 2025; pass defense ranked 27th while run defense remained comparatively strong, and the pass rush posted the fewest sacks of Bowles’ seven seasons.
Background
The Buccaneers entered 2026 with Todd Bowles preparing for his fifth season as head coach after having led the club to three consecutive division titles under his tenure. Tampa Bay’s recent run included five straight playoff appearances and four straight NFC South crowns prior to the 2025 setback. Expectations were high that the Bucs would remain a contender, but a combination of injuries and uneven performance across all three phases contributed to the slide.
Organizationally, the Bucs had kept a relatively stable coaching core through Bowles’ first seasons, leaning on experienced assistants such as Tom Moore for offensive counsel and veteran special-teams staff to manage game-deciding situations. That continuity frayed as 2025 unfolded: the offense declined from top-five measurements in 2024 to midpack outputs, special teams experienced highly visible failures, and defensive pass rush production dropped to a franchise low under Bowles.
The team’s official release framed Thursday’s moves as a corrective step. Personnel changes at coordinator and position-coach levels are a common response in the NFL after an underperforming year, especially when a club’s postseason streak and division dominance are at stake. For Tampa Bay, the search for replacements will be watched closely by players, agents and rival clubs given the franchise’s recent pedigree and Bowles’ stated standards.
Main Event
On Thursday the Buccaneers announced the departure of five assistants: Offensive Coordinator Josh Grizzard and Special Teams Coordinator Thomas McGaughey were among those relieved of their duties. The club also confirmed it would not retain Thaddeus Lewis (quarterbacks), Kevin Ross (cornerbacks) and Charlie Strong (defensive line). Team leadership described the moves as difficult but necessary in light of the season’s results.
Tom Moore and Nick Rapone separately announced they were retiring. Moore’s retirement closes a coaching career that spanned more than 60 years, including 48 seasons in the NFL and seven with Tampa Bay. The organization emphasized Moore’s institutional knowledge and mentorship role within the staff while noting his departure leaves both practical and cultural gaps to be filled.
Bowles issued a statement explaining the rationale: the team’s performance in 2025, including an 8-9 record and lost tiebreaker for the NFC South, required a reset. The head coach framed the changes around accountability and a renewed push to meet championship expectations. The club did not announce immediate internal successors for coordinator roles, signaling an open search that could extend into the offseason.
Operationally, the timing of the changes gives Tampa Bay a runway to pursue candidates before organized team activities and the spring league calendar accelerate. The staff shakeup touches all three phases — offense, defense and special teams — which increases the chances of systemic schematic shifts depending on hires. Players and remaining coaches will enter the offseason with uncertainty over playbooks, positional responsibilities and potential new hires with differing philosophies.
Analysis & Implications
The departures signal the front office and Bowles view the 2025 slide as more than an anomaly. When a team drops from a top-five offensive unit to midpack on multiple metrics in a single season, personnel and schematic accountability normally follow. Replacing an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach suggests Tampa Bay will prioritize reestablishing efficiency and play design consistency heading into 2026.
Special teams adjustments are equally consequential. With five kicks blocked and a league-worst-ish kickoff-return metric, the Bucs showed vulnerability in field-position management and execution. A new special-teams coordinator will likely be tasked with overhauling protection schemes, return coverage responsibilities and in-game decision frameworks such as when to attempt onside kicks or adopt conservative touchback strategies.
Defensive changes — including the non-retention of the defensive-line coach — point to concerns about pass-rush production and pass-defense schematics. The run defense remained a relative strength, but a 27th-place pass defense ranking and the lowest sack total under Bowles indicate the need for quarterbacks pressures and coverage adjustments. Personnel hires or schematic shifts will influence free-agent decisions and potential draft priorities.
Beyond Xs-and-Os, Moore’s retirement carries an outsized cultural effect. A 48-year NFL veteran provided not just schematic input but mentorship across coaching generations; replacing that institutional memory is difficult. The club’s ability to attract successor candidates who can both modernize schemes and preserve effective institutional practices will shape the Bucs’ short-term cohesion and long-term staff stability.
Comparison & Data
| Metric | 2024 Rank | 2025 Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Points scored | Top 5 | 18th |
| Total yards | Top 5 | 21st |
| Rushing yards | Top 5 | 21st |
| Passing yards | Top 5 | 20th |
| Points allowed | — | 21st |
| Yards allowed | — | 19th |
The table highlights a clear offensive regression year-over-year, with the Bucs falling from an elite group in 2024 to largely middle-of-the-pack outputs in 2025. Defensively, the overall yardage and scoring allowed point to inconsistencies, especially against the pass. These shifts help explain why the organization opted for a significant coaching retooling rather than incremental tweaks.
Reactions & Quotes
The team’s official release quoted Head Coach Todd Bowles on the decisions and the departing staff.
“These decisions are always difficult, but the disappointing end to the season required some changes to our coaching staff in order to ensure we live up to the high standards we have set here.”
Todd Bowles, Head Coach (team statement)
Bowles also paid tribute to Tom Moore’s career and influence within the organization.
“Tom Moore is a legend in the coaching profession … his knowledge and understanding about the game is unmatched.”
Todd Bowles, Head Coach (team statement)
Players and outside analysts have not yet released extensive public comment; statements during the coming days and the coaching search will offer clearer external perspectives on the club’s direction.
Unconfirmed
- No hires have been announced for the vacant coordinator roles; candidate names circulating in media reports remain unverified by the club.
- While injuries were cited as a factor in 2025, the precise internal assessment of how much injuries versus schematic or execution failures drove the decline has not been publicly detailed.
Bottom Line
Tampa Bay’s coaching changes ahead of the 2026 season represent a deliberate reset after an 8-9 finish that ended both a division-title streak and a run of playoff appearances. Dismissing coordinators and position coaches across all three phases signals that leadership expects tangible, fast improvements rather than gradual adjustments.
How the franchise fills those vacancies — and whether new hires modernize schemes while restoring reliability on special teams and pass rush — will determine the team’s short-term prospects. The retirement of Tom Moore also removes a deep well of coaching experience, meaning the Bucs must balance fresh ideas with maintaining institutional strengths as they rebuild toward championship contention.