NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo is reporting that the Detroit Lions have put in a request to interview Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ defensive coordinator Todd Bowles.
Garafolo noted that the “interview (is) not scheduled yet as the sides wait for the outcome of tonight’s (NFL playoff) game but Bowles (is) expected to meet with Detroit and the (Atlanta) Falcons”.
Bowles played defensive back for eight years in the NFL, beginning and ending his career in Washington, with a one-year stint with the San Francisco 49ers.
After retiring from the NFL, Bowles began his coaching career as a defensive coordinator/secondary coach at Morehouse College in 1997. His next stop was at Grambling State in the same two roles during the 1998 and 1999 seasons.
In 2000, Bowles landed a job with the New York Jets, coaching their secondary. He would spend the next 13 seasons coaching NFL secondaries, occasionally adding additional titles, like assistant head coach, at different stops. Bowles was the interim head coach of the Miami Dolphins (2011) and Philadelphia Eagles (2012), before landing a defensive coordinator position with the Arizona Cardinals in 2013-14.
In 2015, Bowles was named head coach of the New York Jets. He would record a 24-40 record over the next four seasons and was eventually let go at the end of the 2018 season. One of his most notable victories came in the 2018 opener when his Jets team demolished then Lions coach Matt Patricia in his debut 48-17 on “Monday Night Football”.
In 2019, he became the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator and helped turn them into a Top-6 DVOA defense. Then followed that up with a Top-5 DVOA finish in 2020.
Bowles defense is known for its run-stopping prowess, and the Bucs produced the No. 1 run defense in the NFL both seasons he was calling plays, allowing just 73.8 yards on the ground in 2019, and just 80.6 yards rushing in 2020.
While the Bucs run defense is suffocating, their ability to rush the passer is also very impressive. In 2019, Shaquil Barrett — who we profiled as a potential free agent the Lions should be watching in the Playoffs — led the NFL with 19.5 sacks (the team finished 8th overall), while in 2020 Jason Pierre-Paul finished 11th with 9.5 sacks (the team finished 5th overall).
The Lions have struck a balance of interviews this offseason. A Bowles interview would be the third with a defensive coach, with Marvin Lewis (Former Bengals HC, currently an assistant at Arizona State) and Robert Saleh (49ers’ DC) being the other two. While also interviewing three offensive-minded coaches, Eric Bieniemy (Chiefs’ OC) and Darrell Bevell (Lions’ OC) already having interviewed, and Dan Campbell (Saints’ TE coach, Asst. HC) tentatively scheduled for next week.