Buccaneers: Five Reasons for Concern Heading Into 2017

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Aug 31, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; The Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive line gets set during the second quarter of a football game against the Washington Redskins at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /

Offensive Line

Brian DeFeo touched on these guys earlier this week in his off-season needs piece, but they were so hard to watch at times I needed to delve into the numbers myself.

The film on these guys is bad enough. Does anyone else pray that Gosder Cherilus, aka the Turnstile, never plays a down for the Bucs ever again? How many times did we say his name, followed by expletives, during the Dallas game? Probably too many to count.

Now take a look at the numbers. They allowed eight more sacks than they did in 2015. According to Sporting Charts, the Bucs had the sixth-highest percentage of runs that were “stuffed” at 11.9%. Football Outsiders ranked the line 21st overall, with an “Adjusted Line Yards” stat of 3.74 yards per carry.

That’s probably even higher than most of you expected. I know I was surprised by it. They must get better.

Next: Free Agents the Bucs Should Consider in 2017

These issues are fixable, they are not grave. But they are key for this team to take that next step.

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