Will Bucs Make A Change At Left Guard?

It’s clear that things aren’t clicking with the Bucs on offense through the first six weeks of the season. There are a lot of reasons for that, of course, with the general personnel turnover being an overarching issue.

But one of the more glaring problems week in and week out has been the play of rookie left guard Luke Goedeke. Tampa Bay’s second-round pick in the 2022 Draft, Goedeke has been thrown headfirst into the fire in his first NFL season. Winning the starting left guard job out of training camp over Nick Leverett and Brandon Walton, the Central Michigan product hasn’t had an easy start to his career.

Goedeke’s Trial-By-Fire Season So Far

In Week 1, Goedeke faced Dallas’ Osa Odighizuwa. His Pro Football Focus grade from the Bucs’ 19-3 win was an ugly 49.6.

The following week, things got tougher as he met Saints defensive tackle David Onyemata. The Bucs won, and he graded out slightly better with a 51.0.

Then, Goedeke got a murderer’s row of opponents. He faced Green Bay’s Kenny Clark, Kansas City’s Chris Jones, Atlanta’s Grady Jarrett and Pittsburgh’s Cameron Heyward in consecutive weeks. And he got hammered, grading out with a 47.8, 45.5, 52.9 and 29.9 in those weeks, respectively.

PFF’s grading system isn’t the be-all, end-all. But grades or no grades, it’s clear that Goedeke isn’t cutting it. He’s allowed two sacks, three quarterback hits, 14 hurries and 19 pressures in six games this season. That’s significant — and dangerous — especially when your quarterback is Tom Brady.

There are some things working to the rookie’s disadvantage, to be fair. As right tackle Tristan Wirfs mentioned to Pewter Report last week, Goedeke worked next to three different left tackles in the first three weeks of the season. That’s tough for a rookie.

So is transitioning from tackle to guard and going from Central Michigan to the NFL all while facing some of the NFL’s best defensive tackles. But those excuses have a shelf life. He has to be better, and it has to be soon.

So, Will The Bucs Replace Goedeke?

It sure doesn’t sound like Tampa Bay plans to make a change at left guard any time soon. Bucs head coach Todd Bowles was asked about the play of the offensive line — and Goedeke specifically — during his press conference on Monday. 

“We got the guys we got and we’re happy with them,” Bowles said. “We just have to be better play-wise. We’ve got to execute better. It’s always a guy here and a guy there, whether it’s Luke or somebody else on the offensive line or a ball outside. If we miss a block here and there or somebody swims us and gets by and it makes it look worse than it is, it’s a different guy every play.

“We got to be more detailed as coaches, we got to be better execution-wise as players. It’s a group effort and if we’ve got to change things from an offensive scheme standpoint, we’ll do that, and if we have to do something from a player standpoint, we’ll talk a look that as well. We’re trying to find the best solution [for] how we can get better in those areas.”

Chiefs DT Chris Jones and Bucs LG Luke Goedeke – Photo by: USA Today

Bowles went on to acknowledge further that Goedeke needs to get a lot better and said that they evaluate everything week to week as far as any necessary changes go. Still, it doesn’t sound like Nick Leverett, Brandon Walton or Secret Option C will step in at left guard when the Bucs face the Panthers on Sunday.

“We do that every week with everybody, not just Luke. I think he’s not going to face any less competition, there’s going to be Pro Bowlers every week,” Bowles said. “It’s not just going to be four weeks, it’s going to be 16 weeks and he understands that. The things he’s getting better at, we see the improvement. Can he get a lot better? Yes, he can get a lot better, but we’re happy with the things that he’s doing.

“He’s given up a few plays here and there, but I wouldn’t single him out to be replaced, so to speak. There are other guys that we know can play and do certain things, and we look at that every week when we find people to put into the game plan on all sides of the ball. We’ll try to keep looking at that and we’ll try to monitor that and we’ll plug in when needed, but we got to help him a little bit, too.”

The Clock Is Ticking For Tampa Bay To Figure This Out

The Bucs badly miss former Pro Bowl left guard Ali Marpet. That’s clear. But he’s not walking through the doors of the AdventHealth Training Center any time soon, at least not as a player. So, what answers are there? Whatever they are, Tampa Bay has to figure this out.

Whether it’s doing things to “help” Goedeke, giving Leverett or Walton a shot or making an outside acquisition, this coaching staff can’t let this problem persist — not when this is very likely to be Brady’s final year in Tampa. A team with Super Bowl aspirations can’t afford to sit on its hands and hope for the best. The Bucs are 3-3, which is a massive disappointment. However, the rest of the NFC largely being inept helps their case. There’s a road back for this team, but it won’t go anywhere if it can’t trust the guys up front.

Time will tell what happens here. But it doesn’t sound like anything will change any time soon.

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