The majority of attention is focused on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' quarterback battle heading into training camp and rightfully so.

Tom Brady has officially exited stage left, so naturally, there will be immediate interest in how the Bucs adjust. Then, people will always be interested in a personality such as the one that comprises Baker Mayfield. Throw in Kyle Trask's Gainesville connection and you have a potent cocktail for curiosity.

What's going on with the offensive line is just as interesting, however. Sure, it doesn't have the star power that comes with the quarterback position, but, the OL's performance is going to have a major say in how 2023 plays out – much like last year.

It all starts with Tristan Wirfs, who is moving from right tackle to left tackle. Then there's Ryan Jensen, who's looking to return to his old form after last year's brutal knee injury. He's also adjusting in terms of the Bucs' ground scheme, and offense as a whole, which will be interesting to see.

Next up is veteran Matt Feiler, the projected starter at left guard and on the other side, a wide-open competition for the starting right guard job. 

And last, but certainly not least, is second-year player, Luke Goedeke, at right tackle.

Goedeke's growth in 2023 will be paramount to the success of the offensive line. He held the unit back in a lot of ways during his rookie year and eventually lost the starting left guard job to Nick Leverett. Sure, Leverett initially stepped in as an injury replacement, but the Bucs kept him at left guard once Goedeke was regained his health. 

The Bucs played Goedeke at right tackle during the season finale and he played pretty well – much better than he did on the inside. This prompted Todd Bowles and co. to go ahead and try to make the right tackle position his permanent home. After all, it's the same position he played in college and it led to Jason Licht drafting him in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. So why not go back to the well, so to speak?

If Goedeke works at right tackle, then it will soften the blow of losing the elite play of Wirfs on the right side. There will still be a drop-off, obviously, and that's no fault of Goedeke's. Teams just don't simply replace elite production and that shouldn't be the bar in 2023. Solid, consistent play can really help fortify the front five, especially if Wirfs turns out to be a good left tackle. 

Plus, there is a huge question mark at right guard and even center. We don't know how effective Jensen will be and we don't know how effective the winner of the RG job will be. A consistent Goedeke can help mask any potential issues that come with either position. 

He's also going to face either the best, or second-best, pass rusher on the opposing defense throughout games. Common football sense knows the degree of importance held by both tackle positions.

So, it's easy to see why ESPN recently named Goedeke as the Buccaneers' X-factor before training camp:

The second-year player is kicking out to right tackle with Tristan Wirfs moving to the left side. Goedeke is essentially unproven at the position at the NFL level. For a team this low in our rankings, the Bucs have quite a talented roster…outside of quarterback. But if Mayfield or Trask can have two reliable tackles to go along with the strong receiver core, things might not be so bad in Tampa in 2023. – Seth Walder, ESPN

It's a big year for Goedeke. If he can't figure it out at right tackle then not only will it hurt the Bucs, but it will represent the second-straight year in which he couldn't nail down the position he's playing. 

And that in itself, is a big problem in both the short- and long-term. On the other side, the Bucs could have a solid foundation tackle for both the short-term and the foreseeable future if things work out.

You can check out ESPN's full article, here.

Buccaneers Training Camp Battle: Right Guard

The Buccaneers offensive line was not good last year and there are big changes in store for 2023, including the right guard position.

Featured image via Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports