The Jacksonville Jaguars put in requests to interview a wide variety of names Tuesday thanks to the league allowing them to get a two-week head start on their search through a new rule. That now means the process to replace Urban Meyer will be underway relatively soon.
Two coaches who won’t have to travel far if they want to interview are Tampa Bay Bucs coordinators Byron Leftwich and Todd Bowles, both of whom the Jags have asked for permission to speak with. Both coordinators have been a part of Bruce Arians’ staff since he was hired by the Bucs in 2019 and aided him to a Super Bowl victory in Jacksonville.
Leftwich’s name had been associated with the Jags dating back to last week, as it was expected that the Jags would send a request his way. Of course, a big reason for that is because of his familiarity with the franchise as he was their first-round pick in the 2003 NFL Draft.
Leftwich got into coaching in 2017 as he was hired by a former coach of his in Bruce Arians to be the Arizona Cardinals. The previous year, Leftwich was on Arian’s staff as an intern and impressed him in the process.
Leftwich eventually got a shot as an interim offensive coordinator in 2018 with Arizona, and when Arians was hired by the Bucs, he brought Leftwich along as the offensive coordinator. As of this moment, the Bucs have the No. 1 ranked passing offense and second-ranked offense overall under Leftwich.
As for Bowles, he’s been coaching in the NFL since 2000 and brings some head coaching experience to the table (with the New York Jets from 2015-18). Throughout his run with the Jets, he went 26-41, but after having time to learn from his mistakes and take a smaller role as the Bucs’ defensive coordinator, he could be ready to be a head coach again.
Before his current stop, Bowles was a secondary coach for the Jets, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, and was a defensive coordinator for the Cardinals under Arians. He also held an assistant head coach and interim head coach role in Miami and an interim defensive coordinator role with the Eagles.
Before coaching, Bowles also played in the NFL with the Washington Football Team and San Francisco 49ers as a safety. So, like Leftwich, he’s seen the game of football from many perspectives.