Cody Mauch’s injury strips the Bucs of their biggest strength and creates short-term concern for the offense
The Bucs offensive line is not in great shape, right now.
Once the full extent of Chris Godwin’s and Jalen McMillan’s injuries was realized, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offensive line officially became the strength of the team.
It was down to either the receiver room or the front five. With Tristan Wirfs on the mend, the receivers had a slight advantage, but then came the realization that Godwin Jr. and McMillan will be out for at least the first month. At the least, the Bucs still had a capable quartet that played together last year and could hold down the fort until Wirfs came back.
The excitement around the offensive line was palpable, and the unit was ready to take the Bucs offense to new levels. But now, with the latest news surrounding guard Cody Mauch’s injury, last year’s crew won’t play a single snap on the field together in 2025.
Bucs’ offensive line is a concern over the next three weeks and maybe more
The target for Wirfs’ return is Week 5, and the Bucs have been adamant they won’t rush him back. With Goedeke out at right tackle and Mauch out for the year, this means the Bucs have to face dangerous front sevens in the Jets and Philadelphia Eagles before Wirfs’ assumed return.
Then, if Wirfs returns Week 5 as planned, the Bucs still have to travel to Seattle and take on a good Seahawks defense. Hopefully, Goedeke is back by Week 6 before Tampa Bay takes on the San Francisco 49ers, the NFL’s leader in EPA per play on defense. If that’s the case, the offensive line should be OK as long as there aren’t any more serious injuries.
Regardless, the next month will be crucial. If the Bucs can just split the next four games at 2-2, then that’s a big win.
This is a complete 180 from what we thought we’d see in Week 3
Even though the Bucs are expected to sign Dan Feeney off the Bills’ practice squad on Thursday, it’ll be a surprise if he plays against the New York Jets in Week 3. He has to learn the Bucs offense, and the team still has Elijah Klein it can call on to play guard or center while Feeney gets up to speed.
Therefore, the lineup we will likely see on Sunday will be some version of Graham Barton, Mike Jordan, Ben Bredeson, Charlie Heck, and then Klein. One would assume Klein plugs in at right guard to keep things as smooth as possible and to avoid reshuffling the line, but we won’t know for sure until 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
No one expected this so soon into the season. Wirfs didn’t even have surgery until July, so most figured the offensive line would be good to go for the first five months of the offseason. The last two months have been pretty wild when it comes to everything the unit has dealt with thus far.
Last year, it was the secondary that got raked by injury. This year, it’s the offensive line’s turn. Injuries are a part of football, but this is a lot for one position group to handle. At the same time, only one is long-term, so if the Bucs can weather the storm, they should be in pretty good shape once the situation returns to semi-normal.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers News
Chase McLaughlin’s struggles have put his job with the Bucs on the line and absolutely no one saw this coming
The veteran kicker is off to a really rough start and Todd Bowles said it’s a concern.
