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Buccaneers might be getting a key player back for big game against Eagles

Tampa Bay might be getting a huge boost right when it needs it the most.

By Josh Hill

Dec 31, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) is helped off the field by offensive tackle Luke Goedeke (67) against the New Orleans Saints in the fourth quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Dec 31, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) is helped off the field by offensive tackle Luke Goedeke (67) against the New Orleans Saints in the fourth quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
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For the last two weeks the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been without offensive tackle Luke Goedeke, who has been out with a concussion. He was among the unfortunate additions to the injury report before Week 2 and failed to clear protocol in time to be healthy for this past Sunday's game against Denver.

In both games the Bucs' offensive line struggled mightily. Justin Skule got eaten alive by Aiden Hutchinson, which is understandable, but had another bad game against the Broncos on Sunday. Nothing on the offensive line has looked sharp so far, outside of a solid Week 1 against Washington, and concern is starting to grow.

This isn't a new problem for the Buccaneers, as we're going on the third year of offensive line issues creating challenges. Baker Mayfield wore some of the blame for why he was under so much pressure against Denver, but the fact of the matter is he's been sacked 12 times in two weeks and that's not a winning formula.

Getting Goedeke back will be huge, and we took a giant step toward that happening this week.

Latest Luke Goedeke injury update is good news for the Buccaneers

While Rick Stroud cautioned against getting too excited about Goedeke's coming back, JC Allen reported that the Buccaneers' tackle is expected to clear concussion protocol and return for Sunday's game.

It's impossible to overstate how much of a boost this would be to get Goedeke back. While the line has generally struggled, injuries have put a damper on an otherwise great start for the Buccaneers. Last week's dud against Denver aside, Tampa Bay clobbered the Commanders to begin the season and got a statement victory in Detroit a week later.

Since that win over Washington, though, at least four key players have all run into bad injury luck. Antoine Winfield Jr., Calijah Kancey, and Vita Vea all missed last week's game which is part of the reason why Denver was able to hang 26 points on Tampa Bay's defense.

Goedeke's absence isn't the only reason the offense sputtered, but not having him certainly didn't help. Tampa Bay is about to enter a tough stretch on its schedule, with games against the Eagles, Saints, Falcons, and Ravens upcoming. It won't be easy, but getting key players like Goedeke back will go a long way in making things a little better.

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