Jets set to see familiar face this offseason earlier than expected

The only head coach to pass through the One Jets Drive headquarters in Florham Park, NJ, over the past two decades to maintain a positive reputation among Jets Nation is Rex Ryan. Aside from him, the head coaching department has been a revolving door of disappointment. And pretty soon, according to a statement from the horse's mouth himself, we'll be reacquainted with one of those disappointments.

The horse in question is not Robert Saleh out of Tennessee, or Adam Gase out of... apparently Los Angeles (yeah, I know)? And no, it is not even Jeff Ulbrich out of Atlanta, who will maintain his position under new head coach Kevin Stefanski.

The horse we'll be seeing again shortly is Tampa Bay Buccaneers' head man, Todd Bowles. According to a tweet from FOX Sports' Greg Auman, Gang Green, who is already scheduled to kick off the pre-season against Tampa Bay at home on August 14th, will be a part of two joint practices with the Bucs. And so commences the reunion.

Welcome back old... friend?

Alright, I know what you're thinking. "But Derek, this isn't the first time Todd Bowles and the Jets have faced off since he left New York." And you would, of course, be correct in that statement. After four seasons of ups and downs with the Jets from 2015 to 2018, ultimately seeing far more downs, Todd Bowles was off to Tampa to join former head coach Bruce Arians as defensive coordinator.

Ultimately, Bowles worked his way into the head coaching role, replacing Arians in 2021. And since then, the two franchises have gone to battle in January of 2022 and September of 2025, both of which were Jets losses (go figure). The first took place at MetLife, with the second taking place in Tampa Bay. So yes, we've done this whole rigamarole before.

In all honesty, the relevance of this news lies in what the content of these practices/this game could mean for the 2026 Jets, more so than a chance to take a walk down (upsetting) memory lane. While a joint practice in the offseason won't turn a non-playoff contender into a legitimate threat, it can be a small piece of the puzzle toward building something meaningful for the future.

While he has his detractors, Todd Bowles knows how to architect and teach a defense. The Buccaneers haven't exactly dominated during his tenure as head coach, that's true. But they faired well during his time as defensive coordinator, finishing 15th, sixth, and 13th during that span. And during his time in New York, the Jets' defense finished fourth and 11th in his first two seasons, before taking a dip to 25th in back-to-back years.

Those are all just a bunch of numbers and rankings. They don't tell the full story of Bowles' coaching history with defenses. Anyone who has followed the league knows Todd Bowles has been an influential defensive mind for decades. From his first NFL coaching job, ironically enough, with the Jets, as a secondary coach in 2000, he has consistently proven his prowess. From delivering excellent defenses under Arians as coordinator in Arizona in 2013 and 2014, to winning a Super Bowl with the Bucs in 2021, he's been a constant.

He's also done a good job of carrying over a positive culture from Arians' departure in Tampa Bay. While they've failed to win double-digit games since he's taken over, they're consistently solid and the type of group to emulate for young guys.

I say all that to say, if I'm Aaron Glenn, this is the type of defense and culture I want my young offensive weapons to face so early in their career. I can promise you that Kenyon Sadiq and Omar Cooper Jr. have never seen coverage schemes as complex as those that Todd Bowles can muster. And if I'm really thinking ahead, I want my rookie QB to get some snaps against this kind of look. I guarantee Cade Clubnick never had to read a defense in the ACC as complex as he'll have to when he lines up against Tampa.

And for all of my defensive rookies, from David Bailey to D'Angelo Ponds to Darrell Jackson Jr, I want them to see how a Bowles' unit operates. How do they get in and out of their packages? How do they communicate? How early or how late do they disguise their coverage? How do they handle tempo? How do they adjust pre-snap?

I could go on and on... and on. The list is never-ending. There are countless valuable lessons the rookies can glean from a more veteran group led by an extraordinarily experienced coaching staff. Whether it be the offensive guys getting a chance to witness high-level defensive schemes before they even hit a professional field in real-game action, or the defensive guys learning from what they see on that side of the football for the Bucs, there's a lot of positive that can come from this.

And yes, this is another opportunity to see our old pal Todd Bowles. For what it's worth, while he certainly left a lot to be desired, the franchise ended up in far lower depths upon his departure. It could have been much worse. So when he arrives back at MetLife on August 14th, try to go a little easy on him, Jets fans. And let's just hope our young guys can learn from him in their two days of joint practices.

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