This time of year all 32 NFL teams are hunting, but the question is which teams are eyeing the playoffs and which ones are already looking at the offseason.
For teams in the latter category, hunting for coaching is primarily what the focus is. Only two teams have fired their head coach so far -- the Jets and Saints -- but fans with teams teetering on the brink are getting a head start on the conversation even if a move hasn't been made yet.
That's where Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans are with Todd Bowles. While there's still plenty of time left in the season for things to turn around, threading the needle is looking increasingly difficult thanks to the larger context of the situation.
It's one thing if the Bucs don't turn things around, as that'll make the case for firing Bowles a lot simpler. Where things get complicated is that even if the team turns things around the looming specter of losing offensive coordinator Liam Coen has everyone a little uneasy.
Liam Coen keeps popping up on head coaching candidate lists, which is a problem for the Bucs
Coen has less than a full season in Tampa Bay under his belt but is already looking like a prime head coaching candidate. He's turned the offense into a Top 5 unit, and the Bucs are averaging more points per game than they have since the Prime Brady years at the beginning of the decade.
Add to that the fact that Dave Canales was poached after just a single season in Tampa, and suddenly, a trend begins to develop. Coen's name has already popped up on a few coaching candidate lists, and now NFL Network's Tom Pelissero is adding fuel to the fire.
"The Buccaneers' offense has improved statistically, ranking fifth in scoring (27.9 points per game) despite Tampa's ongoing four-game losing streak amidst injuries to its top receivers. Coen has the demeanor and personality for a head job," Pelissero wrote.
It's a fire that is both heating up Coen's candidacy but also Bowles' seat in the eyes of many fans. It's to the point where even a turnaround that exceeds last year's might not be enough to satiate the desire to replace Bowles with Coen just to make sure the offense doesn't miss any beats in its development.
As juvenile as some of the arguments have been, there's a fair conversation to be had about what's best for the long-term health of the team. Bowles has been a better coach than he's getting credit for, but the absolutely horrible way the defense is playing is an awful look, and there are legitimate things he deserves criticism for.
Coen hasn't been the perfect golden child he's being made out to be by those who want Bowles gone, but losing him would be a massive blow to the growth of the team.
We won't know what happens until the rest of the season plays out, but there's also a chance that Coen isn't poached this winter. Assuming there are eight head coaching vacancies this offseason, at least one will be filled by Bill Belichick and there are other candidates like Mike Vrabel and Robert Saleh who could get looks as well as guys like Ben Johnson, Brian Flores, and Bobby Slowik. Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman is starting to get buzz as well with Aaron Glenn and Jesse Minter getting hyped as near-locks for jobs.That's at least seven guys who aren't Coen, which means the Bucs might not lose him the way everyone is fearing. There's a lot of season left, but the better Tampa Bay does on offense the higher up the list Coen's name is going to get.
