Buccaneers: Which undrafted rookies make the 53 man roster?
By Zach Sauers
Cole Gardner
Heading into this off-season, general manager Jason Licht and head coach Dirk Koetter made it clear that they were plenty pleased with their offensive line. Now although there has been various moves such as Ali Marpet to center and the return of J.R. Sweezy, Tampa based upon numbers has an issue with depth at tackle.
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The Bucs have only three returning tackles from the previous year, five now on the roster if you count Cole Gardner and fellow undrafted rookie Korren Kirvin. This leaves the door of opportunity wide open. Expect both tackles to push for a spot, but Gardner to take the cake.
The 6’5″ 295 pound product out of Eastern Michigan has the potential to be an undrafted steal for the Bucs. Much like Leonard Wester was this past off-season, Tampa has looked to fill their depth at tackle with small school products.
As a former tight end who was converted to tackle in college, Gardner has the athleticism that is required to play successfully. Although Gardner may be seen as more of a project, his name has already been promoted on Bucs’ website as having the possibility to be the third tackle.
Let’s see a swing tackle catch a touchdown this year.