Buccaneers trade veteran offensive lineman Shaq Mason to Texans
It’s the end of what was a short partnership between Mason and the Buccaneers.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had serious offensive line issues during the 2022 season, but right guard Shaq Mason wasn't really a part of them.
Nevertheless, the Buccaneers traded Mason to the Houston Texans on Tuesday, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. The move comes less than a calendar year after the New England Patriots decided to ship Mason to Tampa Bay in exchange for a fifth-round pick.
Per Over The Cap, the trade creates $5.272 million in cap room, which the Buccaneers sorely need. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport later reported the Buccaneers also gave up a seventh-rounder in order to obtain the Texans sixth-rounder, aka, the 179th pick in the draft.
The Buccaneers now enter 2023 with three open positions on the offensive line. The team cut starting left tackle Donovan Smith a couple of weeks ago and there will likely be open competition for at least one of the starting guard positions.
The Buccaneers haven't confirmed anything, but they're very likely to move All-Pro Tristan Wirfs to left tackle and then have Luke Goedeke and Brandon Walton (and likely another player) battle it out for the starting right tackle position. It's also likely Robert Hainsey slides over into guard from his previous center spot, but there's zero guarantee he effectively makes the transition. Lastly, Nick Leverett is likely to have the other starting guard spot locked down heading into training camp, but even then, he has to prove he can continue to build off last year's play.
It's a pretty wild development when considering the Buccaneers had arguably the NFL's best offseason line just two seasons ago. But, this is just life in the NFL and just like any other team, the Buccaneers are going to have to figure out the best plan moving forward.
