Buccaneers Depth Chart: Offensive Line
LT | LG | C | RG | RT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Tristan Wirfs | Ben Bredenson | Graham Barton | Cody Mauch | Luke Goedeke |
Justin Skule | Elijah Klein | Robert Hainsey | Sua Opeta | Brandon Walton |
Dzansi Silas | Luke Haggard | Avery Jones | Logan Stenberg | |
Xavier Delgado | Lorenz Metz |
Last season, the Buccaneers' offensive line gave up 40 sacks, 112 pressures, 37 hurries, and 35 quarterback hits, all of which ranked below league average, per Sports Reference. With their offensive line in desperate need of upgrades, general manager Jason Licht did just that in free agency and the draft.
In free agency, Tampa Bay signed free agent guards Sua Opeta and Ben Bredeson and free agent offensive tackle Justin Skule to one-year deals, while parting ways with aging veterans Aaron Stinnie and Matt Feiler.
In the draft, the Buccaneers used their first-round pick to select Duke's Graham Barton, who was a two-time All-American and All-ACC First Team honoree that has positional versatility to play all five spots on the offensive line. Later, Tampa Bay selected UTEP's Elijah Klein with the No. 220 pick, who was one of the best run-blocking guards in the FCS.
With that said, Barton projects to slot in as Tampa Bay's starting center in replacement of Ryan Jensen, with Tristan Wirfs, Bredeson, Cody Mauch, and Luke Goedeke, starting at the other four positions. With those five linemen all 26 years old or younger, Tampa Bay's offensive line has gotten a lot younger and has gained the potential to develop into a quality group in the future.