3 Offensive Linemen Targets For The Thin Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Last Word On NFL
Last Word On NFL · Colby Allfrey · 2026-09-02T13:40:49+00:00 · nguồn gốc
After an alarming preseason, Tampa Bay might be in the market for offensive linemen before the season starts Sept. 13.
The Bucs’ lack of depth along the offensive line reared its ugly head over the course of the preseason. Tampa Bay used its backups and practice squad players for the majority of its three preseason games. And the results left a lot to be desired.
3 Offensive Linemen Targets for the Thin Tampa Bay Buccaneers
On Sunday, the Bucs released their initial 53-man roster for the season.
In total, the Bucs kept 10 offensive linemen. The starters are Tristan Wirfs, Ben Brederson, Graham Barton, Cody Mauch, and Luke Goedeke. The backups the Bucs kept are Benjamin Chukwuma, rookie Billy Schrauth, Dan Feeney, Luke Haggard, and Justin Skule.
Tampa Bay’s starting unit is one of the best in the NFL. The offensive line helped anchor a top-five scoring offense. In 2024, the Bucs were the first team in NFL history to complete over 70% of their passes and rush for over 5 yards per carry in an entire season. Pro Football Focus ranked the Bucs’ offensive line as one of the five best.
The Bucs’ offensive line depth was tested last season. Four of Tampa Bay’s five offensive line starters missed multiple games. Their backups were pressed into play, and the Bucs’ offense struggled in part because of it. The Bucs ranked in the bottom third of the league in rushing and passing offense.
“I like the first five, and when everybody’s healthy. I’ll look at the tape. If you judge by tonight, yeah, there’s concern. I’ll look at the totality of the tape and see where it came from,” Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said after Friday night’s loss to Jacksonville.
And as it stands right now, Bucs fans won’t have much confidence if one of Tampa Bay’s starting offensive linemen goes down. The Bucs only scored four offensive touchdowns in three preseason games. Tampa Bay rushed for just 3.3 yards per carry this preseason. Their quarterbacks were sacked nine times.
Mauch is coming off a season-ending ACL injury. Wirfs has been banged up with a hamstring injury during training camp. Goedeke has missed at least four games in three of his four seasons in the league.
Tampa Bay will need its guys to come off the bench and hold the line if its starters go down. And the Bucs could look to free agency to use their $8.48 million in cap space to bolster their offensive line group before the regular season starts.
Here are some offensive linemen the Bucs could bring in.
Alex Cappa
Alex Cappa started eight games for the Raiders last season. He played right guard, left tackle, and center with Las Vegas in 2025. He was cut by the team in March.
Cappa has struggled in the last two seasons, 2024 with Cincinnati and 2025 with Las Vegas, posting season grades in the 50s, according to PFF.
However, Cappa could provide valuable experience at multiple positions to Tampa Bay’s offensive line group. He could boost the Bucs as a backup center. The Bucs’ backup center, Feeney, has played guard almost exclusively since the early 2020s, while Cappa started six games at center at the end of last season.
Cappa also brings familiarity. He spent the first four seasons of his career with the Bucs and was the starting right guard on the Bucs’ Super Bowl team in 2020.
Kelvin Beachum
Kelvin Beachum, who is 37, is one of the oldest options the Bucs could look to sign.
Despite his age, Beachum started 11 games for the Cardinals last season. He posted a PFF grade in the 50s last season while playing right and left tackle.
Beachum has 14 years of experience and 172 starts in the NFL. That’s a stark difference from Chukwuma, the current Bucs backup tackle, who has two career starts in the league.
Last season, Beachum was still graded as a strong pass protector, posting a 78.3 pass-blocking grade. He allowed five sacks and three quarterback hits in the 2025 season.
It is unclear what Beachum’s intentions are for the 2026 season, but if he is looking to play, he could be a good backup tackle option for the Bucs.
Evan Neal
Evan Neal was released by the Giants last week. The former No. 7 overall pick had a tumultuous career in New York.
Neal didn’t play at all last season due to hamstring, back, and neck injuries. He made 27 starts over the course of the 2022-24 seasons to start his career.
2024 was Neal’s best year of his career and his first year playing guard. He posted a career-high 61.2 overall PFF grade, and his run-blocking grade was 80.8.
Neal still has the physical traits that enticed the Giants to take him with the seventh overall pick in 2022. It is still relatively early in his career, and it’s likely a team will take a chance on his upside.
The Bucs could be that team. Both of Tampa Bay’s starting guards sustained season-ending injuries last season. Neal’s potential could be enticing for the Bucs’ front office in a backup role.
The Last Word
Tampa Bay is lacking experience and production in its offensive line.
The young players didn’t play well in the preseason, and the veterans struggled last season when pressed into action.
Tampa Bay is in a position where it has made its goals of competing for a division title and making a deep playoff run clear. In order to feel good about those goals, it is crucial that the Bucs can survive injuries to their starters up front.
These three offensive linemen could provide much-needed experience and flexibility to the Bucs’ offensive line group. While these guys may have struggled last season, they aren’t being pressed into a full-time role, and they will likely still fare better than the Bucs’ current backups.
Jason Licht and his crew will be busy in the coming week before the season starts, and the offensive line will likely be at the top of the list of potential positions they look to address.
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