The Future of the Buccaneers’ Offensive Line

The Buccaneers’ offense had an up and down 2016 campaign with many questions across the board. Will there be changes to the men in the trenches for 2017?

The 2015 Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offense finished the regular season ranked fifth in total offense and at the end of the 2016 regular season, they ranked 18th. Now that is a stat that can open your eyes and no matter what you believe this can be blamed on, it is NOT an issue with coaching. Finally.

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Head Coach Dirk Koetter was given very limited talent to work with over his two seasons in the Bay, and quite frankly its remarkable that the team was able to finish 9-7 this season. Koetter has admitted that his team played close to their full potential, but why the drop off in stats? Well when you lose a league leading rusher in the second game of the season… things can get quite difficult considering that the offense is a run first system.

With Doug Martin gone, the team was forced to rely on career backup type players to get the job done. Not a knock against Jacquizz Rodgers, but he is not a blue chip runner, at least not yet. Now although the woes of the offense can be argued for days, fans still seem to point all the problems to the Bucs’ offensive line.

So… what was the big change from 2015? The only change across the board was the loss of Logan Mankins. Mankins is a pro’s pro, and the definition of what a leader is suppose to be like. His overall blocking ability was stellar, but was the drop off that immense?

Statistically the pass offense has been ranked around the same for two years, 17th in 2015 and 16th in 2016, but the run game has not. In 2015 the Bucs had the fifth ranked rushing offense, and now currently sit at 24th. No surprises there, the loss of a healthy Doug Martin was huge.

Now can you blame this solely on the offensive line? NO.

The Bucs had the 18th ranked offensive line this season, quite the improvement from the rag tag group of 2014 which sat at 30th, but yet the ranking went down from last seasons ranking of fifth due to the failure of the run game. So lets look at the stats for these past two seasons.

In 2015 the Bucs gave up a total of 27 sacks and 109 hurries with their fifth ranked offensive line. Now in 2016 the Bucs gave up 35 sacks and 109 hurries. As for sacks the Bucs gave up only seven more than the great wall of Dallas, but the number of hurries is off the charts. The Bucs rank in the bottom half of the league with the most hurries. Something must change there.

So what does change? I personally do not believe the Bucs have much turnover on the offensive line for this upcoming season. Many fans find issues in Donovan Smith, but easily forget about the issues Anthony Collins had before Smith was drafted. Smith just currently finished his sophomore season and Dirk Koetter has sung praise for him. The Bucs will not have short ropes for young players. Rome was not built in a day and some players require more type to perfect a craft.

Moving down the line you have the questionable left guard position. Kevin Pamphile, with the fire inside of him due to the J.R. Sweezy signing, had a good season.  With Sweezy expected to return this season, Pamphile may lose his spot. Sweezy was signed as the replacement for Mankins and his stellar ability in the run game. Sweezy simply offers something that Pamphile simply does not, and with a run first offense Sweezy should get this job.

As for the center position, Joe Hawley has been the fiery heart of this offensive line. Hawley is the type of the guy who you quite frankly would want on your side in a bar fight. Getting into the heads of his opponents and giving it his all on every single play is great, but the NFL is a business.

Now although Hawley has great qualities, he also can be a liability, being thrown around in the middle of the line forcing Jameis to stand farther back in the pocket which eventually leads to issues. We saw in the past that the New Orleans Saints were wise to upgrade the interior of their offensive line, and Tampa should do the same.

Ali Marpet, who is quite frankly the best offensive lineman for the Bucs, could be moved to center. Whether it happens or not, it could help immensely. Jason Licht said after the draft of Marpet that he can also play center, and throughout the season Marpet has taken snaps with the quarterback group. The move would be wise, and help solidify the middle of the line.

Now if the move to center from right guard happens to Marpet, it leaves a hole. This is where Kevin Pamphile comes back into play. Pamphile is Swiss army knife who has played across the line since his time began in Tampa. Pamphile could step in at right guard from day one with little to no issues surrounding it. An easy transition from left to right.

Now what about the big question mark at the right tackle position? The fans have spoken out for their eagerness for a replacement at right tackle, but let us slow this down.

The 2017 offensive line draft class is well… nothing special. The lack of talent across the board is not a secret. Some draft “gurus” even have the best offensive tackle being picked later the Bucs at 19th. The Bucs have more holes to fill then the issue at right tackle, but that does not mean it will not be addressed eventually.

The same goes for this crop of upcoming free agents. The talent is just not there.

The 31 year old Demar Dotson has had an average season in Tampa Bay. Many Buc fans seem to forget that Dotson was out with a concussion for quite some time this season, and mix him up with the horrendous play of Gosder Cherilus.

Doston is no angel, who of course has had his issues like a sudden hold after a big play but the man has held his own and should also retain his job. Not to mention he is also under contract until 2019.

None of these predictions or changes may happen, but I personally can guarantee you there will not be an overhaul on the offensive line. As previously stated, Dirk Koetter likes his offensive line.

"“Every team has weaknesses and every team has other places that they’re strong in depth. I like our O-line,” Koetter said. “I know there’s people out there, maybe some in this room, that think we need to add. We need to add everywhere. You just can’t get guys across the board that are the perfect fit. So, I think we have good versatility in the O-line and I think we have good depth and I think we’ve got two young guys that didn’t get to play very much this year, in  Benenoch and  Wester, that will be there for us when we need them.”"

This statement delivered from Koetter speaks volumes. There is not an urgent need, and if you take a look at JoeBucsFan.com, this side of the argument is there.

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Improvement across the board for the offensive line of the Bucs is a must. The amount of hurries Winston endures must be changed and so does the overall run game, but that does not mean to scrap the men currently in the trenches. Not to mention the two who have not missed a snap (Smith & Marpet).

Could this be also due to the fact Winston is forced to hold the ball longer due to the lack of talent he is throwing to? That is a story for another day…