TAMPA BAY – After starting the same five starters for back-to-back seasons, the Buccaneers offensive line immediately met change in 2022.

Ali Marpet's retirement kickstarted the change and it was soon followed by the departure of Alex Cappa soon after.

All of a sudden, the Buccaneers were without two guards who started 91 combined games over the last three seasons.

And they weren't just starters. Marpet was widely considered a top-3 guard in the NFL and had just come off his first Pro Bowl-caliber season. Cappa was considered a solid player and a player just entering his prime, evidenced by the four-year, $35 million deal he signed with the Bengals.

The Buccaneers would be ever-so-lucky to find two adequate replacements in the coming months, much less an upgrade over either player.

But lo and behold, the latter is exactly what happened.

You're not replacing Marpet with a better player unless you trade for a Zack Martin or a Quenton Nelson. And we know not only is that where the list of upgrades ends, but we know a trade like that isn't happening, either.

Upgrading over Cappa, on the other hand, was certainly possible. It'd be tough, but it was doable. And the Bucs did just that when they traded for Shaq Mason.

As I said earlier, Cappa is a solid player. Me calling Mason an upgrade is no slight to Cappa – it's a testament to how good of a player Mason is.

Mason is effective in both pass protection and run blocking, but pass pro is his better skillset, which is the opposite of Cappa. Mason finished inside the top-10 of ESPN's pass block win rate in 2018 and 2021. Cappa has allowed 73 pressures out of a true pass set over his three seasons as a starter, Mason has allowed 79 over the last five seasons, combined. Things really hit a head for Cappa in 2021, where he allowed a career-high 30 pressures out of a true pass set. Mason has allowed just 24 over the last two seasons.

And most importantly: Cappa allowed 24 hits (sacks and QB hits) over the last three seasons compared to 26 for Mason over the past five seasons.

25.2% of the Buccaneers' allowed pressures came from the right guard position in 2021, which was the fifth-highest rate in the NFL. Just 12% of the Patriots' allowed pressures came from the right guard positions, which was third-lowest.

You want your offensive linemen to move bodies in the run game, but pass pro is obviously much more paramount when Tom Brady is your quarterback.

But Mason is also an upgrade in the run game.

PFF has Mason as the ninth-highest graded run blocking guard in 2021 and he's never finished a season with a grade lower than 69.8.

Cappa's highest-graded season was in 2021 and he finished with an even grade of 69.0, flat.

What's even more wild is Mason is cheaper than Cappa and is only about a year-and-a-half older. It's not like the Bucs traded for a veteran who's best days are behind him. Mason is a stronger, more athletic player who is more than capable of playing his best football in 2022.

Everywhere you look, the signs point to Mason as an upgrade over Cappa. And that's a major win for the Bucs.

Featured image via Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports