By Should the Buccaneers Be Concerned About Their Offensive Line Depth?
By Ken Filler | Tampa Bay Sports Journal
TAMPA — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have plenty of reasons to feel good about their offense heading into the 2026 regular season.
Offensive line depth may not be one of them.
If one troubling theme kept showing up during the Buccaneers’ three preseason games, it was the backup offensive linemen’s inability to protect the quarterback and consistently create running lanes.
That doesn’t mean it’s time to panic.
The Buccaneers’ starting offensive line has the talent to be one of this team’s strengths.
But the preseason raised a legitimate question that could matter more once injuries in a 17-game NFL season start to pile up.
What happens if one or two of those starters go down?
Right now, I’m not sure the Buccaneers have a comfortable answer.
The Starting Five Isn’t the Problem
When the Buccaneers have their starting group together, this should be a very good offensive line.
Tristan Wirfs anchors the group and remains one of the best tackles in football.
Graham Barton provides an important building block in the middle.
At the same time, Cody Mauch and Luke Goedeke have developed into important pieces of an offensive line Tampa Bay has invested heavily in through the draft.
The Buccaneers have built this offense around Baker Mayfield, Bucky Irving, and a talented group of skill players.
None of it works without the guys up front.
With the starters on the field, there is reason for optimism.
It’s what we saw behind them during the preseason that should have Todd Bowles and Jason Licht taking another look at the waiver wire.
The Preseason Wasn’t Encouraging
Preseason football can be difficult to evaluate.
Teams aren’t game-planning the same way they will during the regular season.
Starters play limited snaps — if they play at all — and offensive lines are constantly being shuffled.
But at some point, poor play is simply poor play.
We saw too much of that from Tampa Bay’s backup offensive line.
The biggest warning sign came in the preseason finale against Jacksonville.
The Buccaneers were shut out, struggled to run the football, and had difficulty giving their quarterbacks enough time to operate.
Bowles didn’t sugarcoat it afterward.
“Not good enough,” Bowles said. “Anytime you get shut out, you know. I didn’t think we protected the quarterback enough. We couldn’t run the ball.”
Nobody should care that the Buccaneers lost a preseason game. We should care about how they lost it.
The offense couldn’t consistently control the line of scrimmage.
Jalon Daniels Needed More Help
One of the most disappointing parts of the Jacksonville game was that it became difficult to evaluate Jalon Daniels properly.
Daniels had been one of Tampa Bay’s most exciting preseason stories.
After going undrafted, he came into camp fighting to make the roster. He eventually played well enough to earn the No. 2 quarterback job behind Mayfield.
Daniels showed the ability to make plays with his arm and legs during the preseason.
More importantly, the offense seemed to come alive when he entered the game.
Against Jacksonville, that was much more difficult.
Daniels constantly faced pressure and rarely had a chance to establish a rhythm.
He wasn’t perfect. We have already talked about the quarterback-center exchange problems that showed up during the preseason, and that’s something Daniels needs to clean up.
But it’s difficult for any quarterback to function when protection breaks down around him.
Now think about what that could mean during the regular season.
If Mayfield misses a game and Daniels has to start.
Tampa Bay would already be turning its offense over to an undrafted rookie quarterback.
What happens if that same game also includes one or two backup offensive linemen?
That’s where this depth issue becomes much more concerning.
You Need More Than Five
Every NFL team would love to keep the same five offensive linemen healthy for the entire season.
It rarely happens.
Guys get rolled up from behind. Ankles get twisted. Knees get injured. Players miss a week or two.
Which is why your sixth, seventh, and eighth offensive linemen matter.
You don’t need Pro Bowl players sitting on the bench. You need players who can enter a game without the entire offense falling apart.
That’s what I’m not convinced the Buccaneers have right now.
The Buccaneers need at least one dependable swing tackle and enough interior versatility to survive an injury without completely reshuffling the offensive line.
The preseason didn’t provide enough evidence that Tampa Bay has those answers.
This Is Where Jason Licht Comes In
If there is one reason I’m not overly worried yet, it’s Jason Licht.
Licht has built an impressive track record in finding offensive linemen.
Wirfs was a home run. Goedeke developed into a quality starter. Mauch has continued developing.
Barton has become another important piece.
The Buccaneers have invested draft capital and resources into protecting their quarterback, and that shouldn’t suddenly stop because the regular season is approaching.
The initial 53-man roster doesn’t have to be the final version of this football team.
Players become available. Veterans get released.
Practice squads change. Trades become possible.
If Licht sees what the rest of us saw during the preseason, he should continue looking for another offensive lineman. Maybe two.
The Buccaneers don’t need a star. They need insurance.
The Buccaneers Can’t Waste This Offense
This is why offensive line depth matters so much to me.
Tampa Bay has too much offensive talent to have its season derailed because it couldn’t adequately replace one injured offensive lineman.
Mayfield gives the Buccaneers quarterback stability.
Irving can be one of the most dangerous running backs in the NFC. There are weapons in the passing game.
The Buccaneers have built an offense that can put points on the board.
But we’ve watched enough football over the years to know how quickly an offense can change when its protection breaks down.
Case in point? The 2026 season.
Suddenly Mayfield is getting hit. Running lanes disappear. Third-and-5 becomes third-and-9.
Drives stall.
The defense spends too much time on the field.
One weakness starts affecting the entire football team.
So, Should Buccaneers Fans Be Worried?
Concerned? Yes. Panicked? No.
There is an important difference.
If Tampa Bay’s starting five remains healthy, I feel good about this offensive line.
But expecting five offensive linemen to stay healthy for an entire NFL season isn’t realistic.
At some point, one of these backups is probably going to have to play meaningful snaps.
Based on what we watched during the preseason, I’m not convinced the Buccaneers are ready for that moment.
Bowles essentially acknowledged the same concern after the Jacksonville game.
“If you judge by tonight, yeah there’s concern,” Bowles said.
That’s where I am.
The preseason doesn’t tell us everything about an NFL team. But sometimes it tells us something.
And the Buccaneers preseason told us the Buccaneers might want to find another offensive lineman before they desperately need one.
Jason Licht should keep looking.
Because on a team that expects to compete for another NFC South championship — and potentially much more — offensive line depth is too important to hope everything works out.
