Justin Skule Returns
April 6th, 2026
Veteran offensive tackle Justin Skule didn’t make too many enemies among Vikings fans during his nine starts for Minnesota last year.
That’s a good sign for Bucs fans.
Today, the Bucs announced they re-signed Skule, who bolted Tampa for Minnesota a year ago following three seasons in pewter and red.
Joe loves the depth signing. The Bucs seem determined to recover from the Charlie Heck experience. Heck was signed to back up Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke last season but, after watching Heck all spring and summer, the Bucs refused to play the veteran at left tackle.
First the Bucs re-worked their entire offensive line to move center Graham Barton to left tackle to replace Wirfs, and later in the season undrafted rookie Ben Chukwuma played in place of Wirfs.
This year, the Bucs will have Skule and Chukwuma on the roster.
Skule, 29, was tight with Wirfs during his three Bucs seasons and was well-liked among the tight-knit offensive linemen.
For those who missed it, the Dolphins pounced on Heck in free agency. Are they still tanking?
April 6th, 2026 at 3:24 pm
Next: Guard depth
April 6th, 2026 at 3:25 pm
He is not that good of an NFL OT, but he is better than Heck.
April 6th, 2026 at 3:30 pm
Great signing. Much needed depth.
April 6th, 2026 at 3:33 pm
The return of the Skule
I love this signing, we needed more depth at tackle
April 6th, 2026 at 3:45 pm
Munch! Hahahaha!
April 6th, 2026 at 3:48 pm
Actually, he’s a HECK of a lot better than Heck…
April 6th, 2026 at 3:52 pm
This I don’t mind. Come back and compete with Chukwama, who better be somewhere working out with Tristan Wirfs as I type this.
April 6th, 2026 at 3:57 pm
Skule’s natural position is left tackle, have him backup Wirfs but not Goedeke. Move Chukwuma to RT2 or even guard. I think Chukwuma has a lot of potential. How good can he be?
April 6th, 2026 at 4:04 pm
Being reminded of last year’s OLine shuffle, I wonder if it was a creation of Grizzard. It had its early moments, but over the season the line never meshed and players never got comfortable. In particular, I think Barton’s getting away from center in only his second year hurt his development. I also wonder if the lack of familiarity with positions contributed to injuries. I know it’s second-guessing long after the fact, but we might be able to learn something in retrospect.
April 6th, 2026 at 4:04 pm
Kenton, I was thinking the same thing. He’ll probably show up later, insisting that he was personally responsible for three or four losses last season he was here.
April 6th, 2026 at 4:07 pm
JL is having a great off-season.
Depth added at OT is always welcomed.
Draft needs seem clear:
LBer, Edge, CB, Guard.
April 6th, 2026 at 4:11 pm
We never truly recovered from the loss of Stinnie
April 6th, 2026 at 4:27 pm
The hits keep coming. This year as a BIG DUMP>
April 6th, 2026 at 4:28 pm
Whoop de Doo!
April 6th, 2026 at 4:30 pm
HC Grover Says:
April 6th, 2026 at 4:27 pm
The hits keep coming. This year as a BIG DUMP>
Blah blah blah
April 6th, 2026 at 4:32 pm
HC Grover Says:
April 6th, 2026 at 4:28 pm
Whoop de Doo!
Wah wah wah… wah-wah wah…”
April 6th, 2026 at 4:44 pm
HC Grover Says
“The hits keep coming. This year as a BIG DUMP”
So…not a Bucs fan. Got it.
April 6th, 2026 at 5:02 pm
This is the kind of signing that hugely positively raises our chances late season and into the playoffs. Eventually, someone will get nicked up enough they should probably sit a week and Skule will provide that flexibility safely. Brilliant move, JL! Now if we could find a guard/center we’ll be totally set! Much rather get in free agency than be forced to draft one potentially reaching on a pick.
Also- nothing negatively affected Barton’s development. He just lost the starters on either side of him for the rest of the season which would make *anyone* look a lot worse.
April 6th, 2026 at 5:14 pm
Now look for one OL to be drafted with tackle experience but projected as a guard in nfl. Usually because of short arms. If they keep adding depth pieces it allows them to draft best players available instead of need based picks
Good addition and hope I never say “Charlie Heck “ ever again
April 6th, 2026 at 5:25 pm
Joe: “Are they still tanking” !!
ROUGH!
😂🤣😂
They must be
April 6th, 2026 at 5:35 pm
I’m good with signing Skule back.
He got lit up by Aidan Hutchinson, but after that he settled in a bit and was serviceable.
He’s much needed depth for the O-line, he’s played with these guys before so he knows them and the system.
And it increases the likelihood we can focus all of our draft on the defense.