Todd Bowles Names 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Players Who Could Turn Into Coaches originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
NFL coaches come from all walks of life. Some were players, some were raised by other coaches but never played, and some just fell into the profession by accident.
Wherever it is that they come from, it can be a rewarding position for people who want to be in and around the game.
The most logical transition, however, is from player to coach.
Players who retire and still have an interest in the game can sometimes easily transition, whether it’s under their old college coach at their alma mater or under the team they just retired from.
Take Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles as an example.
Bowles went undrafted out Temple in 1986 and was able to play for eight seasons for the Washington Redskins and San Francisco 49ers. He then transitioned into coaching in 1997 as a defensive coach for Morehouse College in Atlanta.
So Bowles knows a little something about transitioning from player to coach.
During an interview with our friends at Pewter Report, Bowles named four players on the current Bucs roster that he believes could make the jump to the sideline or coaches box.
“I think Lavonte (David) can coach if he wants to coach,” Bowles said. “He’s very bright and he has a bright football mind on both sides of the ball. I think Kyle Trask would be a good football coach. Kyle has a very broad mind on both sides of the ball and he understands the game very well from that standpoint. The other guy that’s a very sharp player, Anthony Nelson is a very polished guy. He can coach ball if wants to because he’s a very good technician and he understands what to do and how to relay it all the time.”
“Vita (Vea) if he wanted to really be a coach he could be a coach. He’s played offense in high school and he understands the game very well. So there’s a few guys that really step up and you can tell they can be coaches if they want to be.”
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.