For the first time since Tom Brady was under center, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have an offense that is firing on all cylinders. The result has been one of the best years in recent memory on that side of the ball, as you have to go back to 2021 for the last time the team has been this hot on offense.
The Bucs are a Top 5 scoring offense in the entire league, and it wasn't that long ago they were leading that charge. Liam Coen has unlocked things Dave Canales never could and has the team scoring 27.9 points per game, which is just behind the Ravens, Commanders, Bills, and Lions.
That's the company the Buccaneers are in, but it's not just Baker Mayfield and Bucky Irving getting all the credit. While those two guys, in addition to Mike Evans, are getting the lion's share of the attention, general manager Jason Licht points to another part of the offense for why he thinks things are going so well.
Jason Licht credits Buccaneers offensive line as the biggest reason for the team's success
Licht was recently on SiriusXM Radio and credited the offensive line as being one of the biggest reasons the Buccaneers are having such success. Beyond that, he said that there are a number of cornerstone players already in place there, including Tristan Wirfs who he referred to as a future Hall of Famer.
While Wirfs is usually the one who gets most of the credit, Licht made sure to include everyone in the room when handing out praise.
“I’m going to have to give the offensive line a lot of credit here. I think we have one of the better offensive lines,” Licht said, via our pals over at JoeBucsFan. "That room is like the central command of this organization. Because if you can protect the quarterback and run the football, which we are doing a great job of right now, then your quarterback has a fighting chance and a chance to win games.”
Calling the offensive line not only the best part of the offense but the 'central command' of the entire organization is massive praise.
Then again, this wouldn't be the first time Licht has cobbled together an excellent offensive line. Alex Cappa and Ali Marpet weren't exactly household names but both were crucial peices to an Super Bowl line and their absence was noticable once they left.
In fact, it could be argued that the Bucs haven't been able to emerge from the shadow Marpet retiring and Cappa leaving for Cincinnati cast over the line until this season. One of the biggest things that held the team back, even in the final year with Tom Brady, was poor offensive line play which is why the job the group has done this year is even more impressive than it already would have been.
As much credit goes to the guys doing the work, Licht deserves his fair share as well. He's now crafted two groups of offensive line talent that are helping carry the Bucs and his second time doing it might be even better than the first. Most teams aren't able to recover from having their line blown up the way Tampa's was, let alone rebuild it in as little time as Licht has.
Over the last year, he's added guys like Cody Mauch and Graham Barton and trusted Luke Goedeke to develop into a solid starting tackle who replaced Wirfs on the right side. In addition to that, he's been able to find depth in Elijah Klein, Ben Bredeson, and the development of Justin Skule, even with his earlier struggles.
There's still a lot of work that needs to be done before this line is considered as great as the one that helped bring home a Super Bowl, but the foundational pieces seem to be in place. Tampa Bay's offense is humming and Licht is spot on in saying the offensive line needs to be getting a little more credit.
More Tampa Bay Buccaneers news and rumors