Kevin Carberry Welcomes Justin Skule Back
May 13th, 2026
Bucs OL coach Kevin Carberry discusses return of key backup.
Bucs offensive line coach Kevin Carberry is back. Joe’s sure glad he survived the purge. Carberry is a damn good coach.
But last year had to be an absolute nightmare for Carberry. He started the season without his All-World left tackle. Then he moved his first-round pick of a center to left tackle and his left guard got moved to center.
In Week 2, Carberry lost his starting right tackle to a bum wheel. In the same game, down goes his right guard.
Carberry and the Bucs (and Baker Mayfield) were left scrambling the rest of the year, always trying to plug a hole before another leak would sprout.
One of the more underrated moves the Bucs made this offseason was bringing back backup tackle Justin Skule. Joe knows this made Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke’s offseasons. Both Wirfs and Goedeke, separately, had told Joe in the past how much Skule helped them. If Skule couldn’t be on the field to help his team, he damn sure was going to do his best to help his teammates.
Whenever Wirfs or Goedeke came off the field after a series (Skule would monitor closely the tackle that was closest to the Bucs bench), Skule would go over what he saw Wirfs/Goedeke were doing right, maybe doing wrong. And Skule would detail what he saw from the guys Wirfs and Goedeke were blocking.
Skule was like a player-coach. Wirfs raved about him to Joe, once telling Joe that Skule would detail to Wirfs how many steps he had left when backpedaling on pass blocking before he got too close to Mayfield. That allowed Wirfs to know when to plant.
Wirfs told Joe he didn’t have eyes in the back of his head — but Skule was those eyes. And since Mayfield is mobile, Wirfs wasn’t always sure where Mayfield might be. (Robert Hainsey was a like-minded guy and Joe is sure Hainsey and Skule were a part of the reason the Bucs’ offensive line in 2024 was so damn good.)
Skule was baptized by Aiden Hutchinson at Detroit in 2024 — he had 4.5 sacks on Skule — in a Bucs win. Skule quickly settled down and played solid ball, even when later locking horns with Nick Bosa after Wirfs left with an injury.
Joe asked Carberry yesterday about Skule and Carberry seems pumped.
“It’s great having Justin back,” Carberry said. “Just great having him in the room, having him around. He’s got a great personality. He’s a great worker. He’s a great professional.
“[Skule has] some good experience for guys to lean on, certainly, and he’s just a smart, intuitive player that’s been around different places, and certainly at our place, and just excited having back.”
Carberry noted that when the Bucs needed Skule when the line was pinched by injuries, Skule did solid work.
“He played in some big, meaningful games for us,” Carberry said.
Yeah, the Bucs’ offensive line was a shambles last year due to injuries. And let’s be real: there wasn’t much reliable depth.
It is good the Bucs have a guy back who can play both left and right tackle, and who is respected.
Dirk Koetter would call Skule a “glue guy.”
May 13th, 2026 at 4:08 am
Skules out for the Summer
Skules out for ever
May 13th, 2026 at 4:12 am
Bucs definitely held coaches accountable for last year. New coordinators and new coaches along with some new players will lead to a much different look than last year. Glad to see that injuries didn’t affect Carberry. Excited to see what a healthier line will do for the team this year.
May 13th, 2026 at 5:04 am
TBBucFan Says:
May 13th, 2026 at 4:12 am
Bucs definitely held coaches accountable for last year. New coordinators and new coaches along with some new players will lead to a much different look than last year. Glad to see that injuries didn’t affect Carberry. Excited to see what a healthier line will do for the team this year.
^^^^^^^^^^
Was the HC held accountable? The DC whose scheme ate hind end for the last 2 years?
May 13th, 2026 at 6:54 am
Ditto!!
May 13th, 2026 at 8:04 am
Not only am I happy to have Skule back because of everything posted by Joe, I am equally excited by the upside Chukwuma showed last year.
May 13th, 2026 at 8:19 am
Adding quality depth is critical in today’s longer seasons. You should expect injuries and already have plans in place. JL was not prepared ie Charles Heck project was an absolute disaster. Looking like he learned from his mistake so
We hopefully don’t see Mike Jordan or any other 5th string guards.
May 13th, 2026 at 8:26 am
…before another *leak* would sprout. Not lead.
Just read it before you post it… Or, hire me. I’m available for summer work.
May 13th, 2026 at 8:52 am
Nice piece, Joe L like the close ups on players and assistant coaches.
May 13th, 2026 at 9:00 am
The lack Gaurd depth was the death knell for last season IMO. Did they improve there?
May 13th, 2026 at 9:01 am
Yes, he survived the Great Leap Forward initiated by Chairman Bowles.
Unfortunately this will still lead to the inevitable playoff famine.
The Swiss cheese scheme will be the downfall of the current regime.
May 13th, 2026 at 9:12 am
His re-addition may really help the 2nd year UDFA tackle from last year, Chukwuma, as well as this year’s UDFA gem, Rubelt. Those two have tremendous potential.
May 13th, 2026 at 9:24 am
But according to Jason Munch, this guy is among the worst tackles in the league. Just like Baker, he single-handedly almost made us lose that Lions game. Almost.
May 13th, 2026 at 9:49 am
BA’s Red Pen Says:
May 13th, 2026 at 9:00 am
The lack Gaurd depth was the death knell for last season IMO. Did they improve there?
BINGO!!!!
we got the kid from ND but obviously he’s a rookie…im sure JL will sign a Guard during TC or right after final cuts are made
GO BUCS!!!!
May 13th, 2026 at 10:25 am
He might be the great coach the guys need. Just god forbid he has to play in a real game against somebody good.
At least it was genius to let him get away in the first place. What an operation.
May 13th, 2026 at 2:25 pm
Heck > Skule
May 13th, 2026 at 5:05 pm
Anything that makes Wirfs & Goredecke feel better is a plus for the Bucs O-line room. Plus he is obviously o sound back-up Welcome back our O-line is better for it.
May 13th, 2026 at 5:15 pm
The Bucs did a terrible job adjusting to injuries last year, starting with keeping two backups that they were unwilling to put on the field. Switching the young center to left tackle was a bad decision to, putting the whole line in disarray. I have no idea how much of that was Carberry, or the OC, or Bowles, or Licht. No journalist seems to wonder or ask.
May 13th, 2026 at 5:55 pm
Skule greatest accomplishment as a Buc was being so incredibly awful that he made Coen change the offense.
Because Sucke was getting beat so easily, and so quickly, after the disaster that was the Denver game in 2024, Coen changed up the offense before the game vs the Eagles and caught them completely off guard when he came out with quick short passes. That is what allowed Baker to really take off, by getting rid of the ball fast, and throwing mostly short passes, it played into what Baker does best, and likely helped keep him healthy.
If the new OC wants to ‘fix’ the offense, just watch the 2024 tape. Have Baker getting rid of the ball as quickly as possible on short passes where he’s very accurate and can get into a rhythm – and if there’s nothing there, he can move around enough to create time or pick up some yards on the ground.
May 14th, 2026 at 2:39 am
Another small, but significant factor that 89.5 over/under is not accounting for. Shoring up OT is a good thing.
Left guard is still a bit of a worry. Hopefully Bredesen gets it done. If not, there look to be some decent options including the fifth rounder Schrauth and the Nebraska UDFA Lotovsky.