Todd Bowles says veteran competing for starting job has been a 'pleasant surprise' through Bucs OTAs, so far
Right now, there are two starting jobs up for grabs on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive line: left guard and center.The competition for the latter job is headlined by fourth-year player, Robert Hainsey, and rookie first-rounder, Graham Barton. The left guard battle is headlined by Sua Opeta and Ben Bredeson, but, Hainsey or Barton could […]
Right now, there are two starting jobs up for grabs on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive line: left guard and center.
The competition for the latter job is headlined by fourth-year player, Robert Hainsey, and rookie first-rounder, Graham Barton. The left guard battle is headlined by Sua Opeta and Ben Bredeson, but, Hainsey or Barton could also find themselves in the mix depending on what happens between them at center.
Opeta is listed at 6-foot-4, 305 pounds, which is the perfect height/size combo for a guard. He's an intriguing guy to watch, especially after general manager Jason Licht said back in March that the former Philadelphia Eagle will be competing for the starting left guard job.
“If anything, [each are] great depth pieces, but they are going to compete for starting jobs,” said Licht. “I think Ben can compete to start at guard or center, Sua at guard. Both are really smart players, both are bigger guys, both have a lot of strength. Both are going to get opportunities here that maybe they didn’t have, well in Sua’s case. Especially with us, because there’s opportunity. Glad to have those guys.”
So far, through the second week of OTAs, it sounds like Opeta is taking full advantage of the opportunity in front of him.
"You know he [Opeta} comes off the ball [and he's an] excellent run blocker," head coach Todd Bowles told reporters on Tuesday. "You can't really see the pass blocking until the pads come on, but he's tough. He shows up every day. He really gets off the ball. He's been a pleasant surprise."
Opeta was primarily a backup in Philadelphia, where he appeared in 38 games with 13 starts over the course of four seasons. He played a career-high 527 snaps and started six games in 2023 while filling in for injured players.
His performances in those six starts left much to be desired. Per Pro Football Focus, Opeta allowed 13 total pressures that included 10 hurries, one QB hit, and two sacks through Weeks 5-8. He only allowed two total pressures in his starts from Week 14-15, but his overall PFF grade was a miserable 48.2 through those two games.
Still, that's not indicative of how Opeta's tenure in Tampa Bay may go. Licht and the coaching staff obviously see enough of him on tape to where they think he can provide quality snaps for them. And, if he can do that, the Bucs offensive line will be one more step closer to fortifying and improving upon a unit that was inconsistent in 2023, but showed plenty of flashes of potential.
