Bucs Bet On Ben Bredeson To Replace Lost Depth In 2024

The Bucs are experiencing some useful roster turnover with the signing of offensive linemen Ben Bredeson and Sua Opeta.

Former starting center Ryan Jensen has officially announced his retirement. Matt Feiler, who started the season at left guard, won’t be re-signed. Nor has the man who usurped him half-way through the season, Aaron Stinnie. Stinnie has signed with the Giants for 2024. Add to the list backup center Nick Leverett, who started 10 games for the Bucs at left guard in 2022.

In their place the Bucs have made a pair of moves to replace the depth lost at center and guard. The first of those moves was signing former New York Giants offensive lineman Ben Bredeson. Bredeson is entering his fifth year in the NFL after spending the past four in New York. The former fourth-round draft pick has played almost 1,900 snaps while starting 25-of-39 games over that time period.

As a draft prospect Bredeson was unable to participate in the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine due to a hamstring injury. Then he missed his Pro Day the following month due to the pandemic. Therefore, we do not have any athletic testing for him. But Bredeson did get his measurements taken at the combine, so he has a limited spider chart at MockDraftable.com.

This is one of the more unique charts you will ever see. Bredeson’s 31.125″ short arms are in the first percentile of all guards tracked by the database. That will come in play later.

Ben Bredeson’s 2023 Season

Bucs G/C Ben Bredeson – Photo by: USA Today

Last year Ben Bredeson received his largest amount of play time as he started 16 games across three positions. Bredeson began the season with two games at left guard. He then switched to center for four games before playing eight of the 10 games at right guard. His play did not rate well with the player evaluation site Pro Football Focus.

PFF scored Bredeson with a 42.1 overall rating, with a 41.4 grade as a run blocker and a 42.4 grade in pass blocking. All three of those marks are significantly below their 60.0 grade for an “average” player.

He allowed 39 pressures, 33 hurries and five sacks over 641 pass blocking snaps. Bredeson’s pass block efficiency was 96.4% which ranked 48th out of 58 guards in the NFL.

None of this points to a player who the Bucs should be confident can step into the starting lineup. However, a player with three-position versatility and almost 2,000 snaps and almost two full seasons of starts can be a valuable depth piece on a roster.

Ben Bredeson Scouting Report

I reviewed two of Ben Bredeson’s games from 2023. I looked at his best game (Washington – Week 7 – center) and his worst game (L.A. Rams – Week 17 – right guard) by PFF’s grading system. Here were my main takeaways.

Ben Bredeson’s Arm Length Has Real Consequences On The Field

Last year Bucs right tackle Luke Goedeke showed that arm length isn’t an obstacle to good play in every instance. Goedeke played tackle in college, but the Bucs initially moved him inside to guard his rookie year because they felt his shorter arms would be prohibitive to success on the outside. In 2023 Goedeke played very well back at his natural position of tackle.

Ben Bredeson’s arms aren’t short for a tackle though. They are short for a lineman – period. There have only been two guards since 1999 who came out of college with shorter arms than Bredeson. They are Sam Jones in 2018 (31″) and Anthony Steen in 2014 (30.5″).

This shows up in his play as he can often fall under the control of an opposing defensive lineman who gets his hands into Bredeson’s chest and can lock out his arms. You can see it in the below clip. Brederson is No. 68 playing right guard. The nose tackle is able to get into Bredeson’s chest with his longer arms, pushing the offensive lineman back quickly. He is able to then disengage one arm while still controlling Bredeson and keeping his eyes in the backfield as he finds the ball carrier and gets the run stuff.

pic.twitter.com/c6KZMjqzE3

— Joshua Queipo (@josh_queipo) March 16, 2024

Bucs Should Like Ben Bredeson’s Get-Off And Movement Skills

The only way Ben Bredeson is able to overcome the arm-length issue is by not letting defenders connect with their superior length. He accomplishes that by beating guys off the snap and getting into their chest. Here is an example of when he is working at his best.

Split Zone where Bredeson (#68 – Center) is able to beat the nose off the snap and mitigate arm length disparity by getting inside his chest. pic.twitter.com/AMC9Ib4SUn

— Joshua Queipo (@josh_queipo) March 17, 2024

Which brings me to my next point. From my observations he works best as a zone blocker in the run game.

One of Bredeson’s best traits is his understanding and implementation of blocking angles. When forced into more gap blocks, he is forced into a more static placement where he can’t exploit opponents by beating them to spots. This is backed up by the disparity in his PFF grades from last year. His run block grade for zone plays was a respectable 61.6 whereas his grade for gap plays was an atrocious 28.9. It makes me think that new Bucs’ offensive coordinator Liam Cohen will be leaning heavy into a zone run system.

This O-Lineman Competes On Every Rep

When you watch tape you become acutely aware of who gives their all on every play and who picks their spots. Ben Bredeson is firmly entrenched in the former camp. The guy never takes a snap off. He plays as if he is aware of his limitations and needs to perform at or near his ceiling all the time. It’s a trait I appreciate and one I am sure the Bucs do as well. This should help ingratiate him to his teammates and certainly matches the tenor that quarterback Baker Mayfield leads by.

An example of what I mean about how he competes every second he is on the field. pic.twitter.com/Lhg7Jd5yp9

— Joshua Queipo (@josh_queipo) March 17, 2024

His Play Strength Is Solid

Another strength of Ben Bredeson’s is his play strength as it relates to pass protection. He is able to absorb bull rushes, reset his feet and recover well. It aids him in picking up quick blitzes and taking on bull rushes where he can negate the arm-length disparity.

Absorbs the bull rush, resets, prevents the pressure. pic.twitter.com/EqK50ONQss

— Joshua Queipo (@josh_queipo) March 17, 2024

Ultimately Ben Bredeson Does Not Represent An Upgrade For Bucs

Bucs C Robert Hainsey – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

I have been pretty vocal this offseason that I believe the Bucs need to upgrade at both left guard and center. Aaron Stinnie was not the improvement over Matt Feiler many believed him to be and both players represented the weak link on the offensive line last year.

And Robert Hainsey filled in for Jensen admirably, but remains a player the team would rather keep in a backup role, yet feels comfortable enough, that if he is pressed into play, he can perform adequately.

In my opinion Ben Bredeson does not fill either of these needs. He is a serviceable backup with multi-positional versatility, but he should not be viewed as the starter at left guard or as an upgrade over Hainsey. If he is given an opportunity to compete for a starting role in training camp and wins it, it could foretell issues for the Bucs offensive line in 2024.