Unheralded key cog in major turnaround for Bucs in 2024 recognized by national outlet
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' run game fell flat on its face after coming oh-so-close to a return to the Super Bowl in the 2021-22 season. During the 2022 and 2023 seasons, the Bucs ranked dead last in the NFL in rushing, both in total rushing yards and yards per attempt. That changed in a big […]
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' run game fell flat on its face after coming oh-so-close to a return to the Super Bowl in the 2021-22 season. During the 2022 and 2023 seasons, the Bucs ranked dead last in the NFL in rushing, both in total rushing yards and yards per attempt.
That changed in a big way in 2024. The Bucs went from the worst rushing unit to one of the best in the NFL. Fourth, to be exact, in total rushing yards and yards per attempt. That's one heck of a turnaround.
An improved offensive line is a big reason why. The Bucs invested heavily in the group by spending its 2024 first round pick on Duke center Graham Barton.
However, the Bucs got another big performance on that line, and it was from someone already there in 2023.
Pro Football Focus named the most improved player in 2024 for each team, and they tabbed RG Cody Mauch for the Buccaneers. This is what they had to say about Mauch:
Cody Mauch struggled in his first season in the NFL, he was inserted into the Buccaneers' lineup as their starting right guard from Day 1 and looked off the pace for large stretches of the season. He allowed 48 pressures and seven sacks, earning a 44.7 grade in 1,102 offensive snaps. Improvement was needed across the board, and Mauch delivered in 2024.
The former No. 49 overall pick was excellent in his second season, allowing a 2.7% pressure rate, the sixth-lowest among all guards, and his total pressures allowed dropped to just 18, which was 30 fewer than just a year ago. Mauch’s overall grade improved to 75.4, the 15th-highest among guards in 2024. The improvement after just one year has been remarkable.
A second-round pick in the 2023 draft out of North Dakota State, Mauch was thrown into the action early in his career. Right off the bat, to be exact. Mauch won the starting right guard spot out of camp and held it down throughout the season. His struggles were real across his rookie season, and it was fair to question if he was the answer there long term.
He answered that question quickly in 2024, making a huge leap forward. Having a mauler in Barton next to him surely helped, particularly in the run game, but he made huge strides in pass blocking with a 77.4 pass-block grade for the season. He allowed just 19 pressures and 2 sacks in 722 pass blocking snaps this season.
With two bookends in Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke on the outside and Barton anchoring the middle, the Bucs appear set on their offensive line for years to come. It seems Mauch has cemented his place among them after this year.
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