Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles played for the Washington Commanders (formerly of a different name) after he made the team as an undrafted free agent. The former defensive back is better known for his coaching than he is remembered for his play in the NFL, where Bowles had an eight-year playing career.
Todd Bowles’ Career With Washington As a Defensive Back
Bowles came out of college in 1986 as an undersized defensive back and went undrafted. He signed with the Washington organization as a free agent and worked hard to make the team.
In his rookie season, he dressed for 15 games and started in two. He would go on to start 60 games as a free safety for Washington from 1987-1990. In 1987, he started on the Washington squad that went on to win the Super Bowl.
Bowles signed a contract with the San Francisco 49ers in 1990 and started 14 games. Unfortunately, he did not stay long enough to help Washington win a second Super Bowl title — Washington took home the top prize again in 1991.
San Francisco waived Bowles after the 1991 season, and he re-signed with Washington before retiring.
He did not have a bad career for a guy who graduated from Temple and was not expected to play professionally. Bowles played in 117 regular-season games, capturing 15 interceptions and recovering seven fumbles.
After Bowles’ playing days ended, he transitioned to coaching. Initially, he became a defensive coordinator and secondary coach for three seasons collectively at the collegiate level with Morehouse College and Grambling State.
Bowles moved to the NFL as the New York Jets’ secondary coach in 2000. He was primarily a secondary coach for his first 13 seasons in the NFL, with stops in Cleveland, Dallas, Miami, and Philadelphia.
Bowles also served as an assistant head coach in four seasons with the Dolphins. In 2013, he was named the Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator under Bruce Arians. Bowles and Arians reunited in Tampa Bay in 2019, with Bowles serving as the Bucs’ defensive coordinator.
As Tampa Bay’s defensive coordinator, Bowles helped the Buccaneers win Super Bowl 55 over the Kansas City Chiefs, 31-9. He designed a masterful defensive game plan that prevented Patrick Mahomes and Co. from scoring a single touchdown. The Bucs’ pass rush dominated Kansas City’s offensive line, with 10 quarterback hits and three sacks.
In 2022, Arians stepped down as Bucs head coach, and Bowles replaced him. Bowles is now in his third season as Buccaneers head coach, his second head coaching job.
He previously coached the Jets from 2015 to 2018. He started strong with New York with a 10-6 record in his first season but finished with a 24-40 record. Bowles was also the Dolphins’ interim head coach in 2011, going 2-1 to finish the season after Tony Sparano was fired.