Todd Bowles: You don't replace Tom Brady, but Tampa Bay Buccaneers can be great without him

Tom Brady doesn’t seem like a player ready to unretire a second time, re-joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as he enjoys life after football. Yet, despite the Bucs losing arguably one of the best players of all time, coach Todd Bowles is still a big believer in his team’s ability to bounce back and have a strong season in 2023.

Which if we’re keeping track, the Buccaneers went 8-9 last season, sneaking into the playoffs after winning the NFC South. Were they good with Brady last year? Most would say Tampa Bay was far from a threat. Yet, coach Bowles believes they can be great in 2023.

“When you replace a player of that magnitude, first of all, you don’t replace him. You lose aura. You lose the expectation of being great. That doesn’t mean you can’t be great. You just have to do it more as a team. We did it as a team when he was there, but he was such a great player and a great person that you focus all on that. And now that that is gone, the perception is that everything else is gone when really it isn’t.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles on team’s potential in 2023

The Buccaneers are expected to turn to free agent signee Baker Mayfield as their starting QB this season, with third-year pro Kyle Trask also waiting in the wings. Based on coach Bowles’ mindset, he doesn’t expect much of a drop-off, if any, in the team’s execution. We’ll see if he’s right this fall.