3 new Buccaneers starters who will have a huge impact this season

Cody Mauch, OG

As easy as it would have been to lead with Cody Mauch, it’s hard not to save Tampa’s Toothless King for last.

Mauch is best positioned to not only be the best new starter the Bucs roll out this season, but could be among the best rookies when the season is over. Lineman don’t win Rookie of the Year, but Mauch feels like he’s going to be an absolute stud. There’s the personality fit that he’s already demonstrated, riffing with Ryan Jensen almost as soon as he was drafted back in April.

Channeling Jensen and taking the torch from him for the future is an ideal situation for the Buccaneers. If Mauch can develop into the guy he looks like he’ll be, the Bucs will have two massive pieces of the offensive line — Tristan Wirfs being the other piece — set for years to come. That’s a sweet spot to be sitting in, especially with a franchise quarterback coming to Tampa Bay in the next year.

The bar is also low for Mauch to make a huge impact for the Bucs. It doesn’t take a lot of effort to point toward how abysmal the Bucs offensive line was last season, but with Mauch there’s hope that things can truly bounce back to the way they were back in 2020 when things were going smoothly.

Mauch brings talent and personality, two things that should combine to make him a high impact player and a fan favorite well before his rookie season is over.