Brandon Thorn: Bucs’ Offensive Line No. 3
July 22nd, 2026
Stay healthy, please.
Oh yes, Joe knows NFL fans love to blame their team’s offensive line for every issue in the world from global warming to unrest in the Middle East and high interest rates.
Joe loves to repeat what former Giants quarterback and CBS analyst Phil Simms often said. Simms would like to listen to local sports radio on his way to the airport going home after calling a game. He guaranteed the two main subjects from local sports radio callers, win or lose, was play-calling and offensive line.
Simms said it never failed.
So, maybe, the following will give raw meat to the offensive line haters as we crawl to the start of training camp with the first Bucs practice a week from today.
Throughout social media and the many podcasts, there are all kinds of NFL analysts, both real and imagined, well-known and fake, who focus on quarterbacks or skill position players, and defense.
Brandon Thorn is the rare dude who focuses on offensive line. He regularly has NFL and college offensive line coaches and offensive linemen on his pods and they break down tape. Bucs left tackle Tristan Wirfs was a guest once.
Thorn’s pod and video breakdowns are really heavy on X’s and O’s and technique. And Joe knows of an NFL general manager who is a big fan. Simply put, Thorn’s enthusiasm for offensive line play and his attention to detail and desire to learn from the best has earned him a lot of respect in NFL circles.
(The PFF tribe’s offensive line grades? Not so much, to put it mildly.)
So Joe is listenin to Thorn and reading his work. And in his preseason breakdown, Thorn has the Bucs’ offensive line ranked No. 3.
3. Buccaneers (Kevin Carberry)
LT Tristan Wirfs
LG Ben Bredeson
C Graham Barton
RG Cody Mauch
RT Luke GoedekeUnit Profile: Elite LT-driven line with good RT play, strong young interior talent, and one of the cleanest five-man profiles in the league.
Notes: Tampa Bay is another unit that suffered significant injuries to both guards and right tackle (27 missed starts between them) but returns all five starters with elite LT Tristan Wirfs atop the hierarchy. Wirfs is arguably the best tackle in football, with rare reliability on either side and one of the position’s highest floors. Luke Goedeke also remains an extremely underrated, well-rounded player in his own right. Together, they form a sneaky top-three tackle duo due largely to their effectiveness as one-on-one pass protectors. Inside, the trio is solid overall with significant upside still remaining for Graham Barton if his processing and pass-off timing quicken, and Cody Mauch if he stays healthy after his early-season knee injury. Barton’s movement, body control, and run-game impact remain high-end center traits, while Mauch’s athleticism, strain, and recovery ability give the right guard spot good-starter potential when available.
The only teams Thorn has ranked better is Denver and Philadelphia.
Joe would say Thorn’s breakdown is pretty fair. Joe gives Graham Barton a pass for last year because look at the trash he had on both sides of him.
Joe swears on a stack of Bibles seeing Barton blocking two defenders on the same play once. Barton looked like an old 1970s lineman, as back then lineman were coached up to use their forearms to block. Barton was blocking one defender with his right forearm, the second defender with his left and there was no guard near him.
(Would you blame defensive coordinators if they crashed their pass rushers inside on the Bucs with [not that] Mike Jordan and Dan Feeney blocking at guard?)
Joe thinks the Bucs missed Cody Mauch greatly. That guy’s hustle and drive and grit and work ethic was sorely missing.
Right now it sure seems the most important element of the Bucs’ offense is the health of the offensive line. Given how they are breaking in a new blocking scheme with a new offense, Joe suspects the Bucs’ front line will be playing its best ball in November and December.
Provided it can stay healthy.
July 22nd, 2026 at 9:13 am
I actually agree.
Our “STARTING” O-line (when healthy) is a top 5 unit…
The depth this season will be improved.
Shooting swing OT Charlie Heck out of the cannon and replacing him with Skule is a plus.
Big Ben Chukwuma having another year to develop is a plus.
Drafting Billy Schrauth will be solid competition for Klein, Haggard and Feeney.
I give the Bucs O-line and depth a solid – B grade.
It’s the most solid UNIT on this team IMO.
July 22nd, 2026 at 9:15 am
I just love the positivity marine!! Go Bucs!
July 22nd, 2026 at 9:16 am
It would be awesome if Chukwuma could be cross-trained as an OG.
He is athletic and strong enough for that task… IMO.
July 22nd, 2026 at 9:28 am
@ Steve
Bonus positivity (just for you)…
Our WR unit will be improved over 2025.
Godwin – finally healthy
Egbuka – will hopefully improve
McMillan – finally healthy
Johnson – will hopefully improve
Hurst – ?????????????????????
WR unit grade – a solid B…
There – are you happy now?
LOL!!!!
July 22nd, 2026 at 9:35 am
Yes sir,im getting a chubby lol
July 22nd, 2026 at 9:50 am
Contrary to what some have said, the Bucs will keep 6 WRs. They always do.
July 22nd, 2026 at 9:50 am
This is the same offensive line that was starting the beginning of last season when the team had such a great start.
July 22nd, 2026 at 9:54 am
@ Steve
Awesome…
Now I am going will push you over the edge.
Our safeties are also graded at a solid B.
OK – that’s enough positivity for the day.
The rest of my comments from here on out will be strictly negative.
You have all been warned!
July 22nd, 2026 at 9:56 am
@ Bonzai
You are astute as always.
I believe Cam Johnson might return as our returner and #6 WR.
Unless another rises up to take his place…
July 22nd, 2026 at 9:57 am
*Kam not Cam
My bad…
July 22nd, 2026 at 10:05 am
O-Line is definitely top 5 when healthy…still think Bredenson should be our starting C…Barton and Wirfs would be extremely powerful…
GO BUCS!!!!
July 22nd, 2026 at 10:22 am
It really is amazing how very little the qb gets the blame for line play. Oh yeah, we def can pick out the running backs that miss or don’t make their pick ups but this is what made Brady so great. His pre reads were so elite. He knew when to get out of a play, when to kill the play immediately after snapping the ball and where to go with it. Very rarely was he fooled.
How many times do you see an end, lb or a back that’s clearly coming and the qb never accounts for him pre snap?
July 22nd, 2026 at 10:25 am
The Buc’s O needs them healthy. When they are, the Buc’s passing game and run game shine!!!
July 22nd, 2026 at 10:34 am
@ Obvious
“He knew when to get out of a play, when to kill the play immediately after snapping the ball and where to go with it. Very rarely was he fooled.”
I agree with you.
When you have a high IQ (QB) he knows when to give up on a play and makes the proper decision to live and fight another play…
When you have a low IQ (QB) he gets frazzled and starts running around like a chicken with it’s head loped off and then lowers his shoulder into an opposing ILB in order to compensate for his intellectual short-comings.
It’s really that simple folks.
July 22nd, 2026 at 10:43 am
The article does not mention Bredeson. We lost practically every game after he went on IR
July 22nd, 2026 at 11:17 am
@ marine.. all good ! You earned it my friend! It’s one thing when you say this guy sucks that guy sucks,that’s easy,but when you have a legitimate case like alot of your posts im all in !
July 22nd, 2026 at 11:22 am
@ Steve
Cool man…
Always remember this about me.
I love to debate about my favorite team – playing my favorite sport…
Just keep in mind – I am the MASTER DEBATER!
July 22nd, 2026 at 11:24 am
@ Steve
Wait a minute…
That didn’t cum out quite right.
Oh whatever.
You get my point.
Right?
July 22nd, 2026 at 11:38 am
It all starts up front with the offensive line. The Bucs have one of the best offensive lines. If they can stay relatively healthy, they will make the Bucs legit contenders. Their offense has pro ballers on the line, receivers, running backs and Quarterback.
July 22nd, 2026 at 11:42 am
Brady would have killed 70% of the plays last year. Probably would have made the playoffs though cause he would have had 5 more wins , Eagles, saints, falcons , Panthers dolphins ,, but would have had 3 more losses Texans , Seahawks and 49ers.. So 2 more wins and a home playoff game ( a close loss to the Rams )
July 22nd, 2026 at 11:45 am
Did he mentions backups at all? I’m still worried about our depth. Surely we can’t carry a non-playing Klein another year, and we still got Feeney.
July 22nd, 2026 at 11:48 am
@ Light
“Brady would have killed 70% of the plays last year.”
I agree.
And I would trust TB12 to call the plays over Gizz…
Just like I trusted TB12 over our flat-billed genius Bywin Leftbitch…
July 22nd, 2026 at 11:51 am
@ Light
“Brady would have killed 70% of the plays last year.”
I agree.
Just like TB12 killed 70% of the plays from our OC who is still un-emplyed at this time.
July 22nd, 2026 at 11:54 am
You get what you pay for……our Oline has:
2 1st round picks
2 2nd round picks
1 4th round pick
By comparison our TE room’s highest pick is a 4th rounder…..no wonder it’s weak.
July 22nd, 2026 at 12:02 pm
@ TBBF
BINGO!
But don’t let these other fans know what we know or else they tend to get a bit hostile…
Serious question for our “ROH” GM – Why don’t you ever invest a high draft pick at the TE position.
Did OJ Howard hurt you that badly?
July 22nd, 2026 at 12:05 pm
It’s too bad about Grizzzz cause he has a great last name and I just want to say Grizzzzzz or The Grizzzz,, In all honesty our OCs really haven’t been that good , Coen was excellent ,, but Grizzzz, Leftie and Canales weren’t very good (Canales has other attributes that makes him a decent HC) , I’m hoping ZR will grade out more like Coen .
Speaking of Brady,, Can you imagine the tounge lashing Cade would have gotten for not fighting for the catches has lost ,, Imagine Brady’s face going from a reception to Pic-6!
July 22nd, 2026 at 12:12 pm
It’s all about keeping them healthy. I’d like to think that last year was THAT year, you know the ones?! The ones where you can’t even get out the gates healthy!!!
We have proven talent.
July 22nd, 2026 at 12:55 pm
Oline is definitely our best unit. No.3 sounds amazing. Has our line ever finished in the top 3 by end of year evaluations? I doubt it.
Best units by rank-
Oline
WR
QB
SAF
:big dropoff:
DT
CB
DE/OLB
RB
ILB
TE
July 22nd, 2026 at 12:58 pm
Mauch is hugely important- especially to our running game. As I mentioned before in 2024 we averaged an astonishing 5.5(!!!) yards per carry when running between Mauch and Barton. It was only a relatively pedestrian 3.5 YPC between Barton and Bredeson. So look for a lot of runs behind Mauch this year with his return. He really opens up holes well for runs. He’s a rock solid pass protector too.
July 22nd, 2026 at 1:07 pm
40-80% of our very highly drafted and paid Offensive Line was off the field or not playing the correct position last year for the entire season. That’s a formula for an extremely inconsistent offense and generally a disaster. The synchrony of acting as a unit is what establishes the run game and was supremely lacking with all the backups on the field. Pass protection was disastrous too- forcing Baker into many unscripted plays which also reduces consistency. In turn, rapid pressure up the middle removed the ability to use timing plays or step into passes which of course affects accuracy. Last season was a mess, but this season has high potential to be much better both on run plays and passes. As long as we are unpredictable too, we will be very difficult to stop!
July 22nd, 2026 at 1:10 pm
Were the following failures due to a weak offensive line?
Week 4: Philadelphia Eagles 31, Buccaneers 25
The Situation: Trailing by six points late in the fourth quarter, the Bucs had a chance to mount a game-winning touchdown drive.
The Failure: Quarterback Baker Mayfield threw a red-zone interception inside the final minutes, killing the potential comeback attempt.
Week 16: Carolina Panthers 23, Buccaneers 20
The Situation: Down by three points on the road in Charlotte, the Bucs took the field in the final minutes with a chance to drive for a game-tying field goal or a game-winning touchdown.
This The Failure: The drive ended abruptly when a miscommunication between Mayfield and wide receiver Mike Evans resulted in a game-sealing interception, handing the Panthers the win and costing the Bucs the NFC South lead.
Week 17: Miami Dolphins 20, Buccaneers 17
The Situation: For the second consecutive week, the Bucs trailed by a field goal in the final minutes of a crucial matchup.
The Failure: The offense was unable to put together a successful scoring drive to stall their late-season slide, cementing a 20-17 loss and a win for a little regarded QB that officially knocked the Bucs out of playoff contention.
Yep, most surely the o-line’s fault! Nothing like throwing 50 mil a year at the QB to fix this mess. We should be good after that.
July 22nd, 2026 at 1:28 pm
@lightingV..LUDACRIS! A big UGH for you!
July 22nd, 2026 at 1:50 pm
40-80% of our very highly drafted and paid Offensive Line was off the field or not playing the correct position last year for the entire season. That’s a formula for an extremely inconsistent offense and generally a disaster. The synchrony of acting as a unit is what establishes the run game and was supremely lacking with all the backups on the field. Pass protection was disastrous too- forcing Baker into many unscripted plays which also reduces consistency. In turn, rapid pressure up the middle removed the ability to use timing plays or step into passes which of course affects accuracy. Last season was a mess, but this season has high potential to be much better both on run plays and passes. As long as we are unpredictable too, we will be very difficult to stop! (Sorry if this is repeated- it disappeared…)
July 22nd, 2026 at 1:57 pm
JA- with a much better offensive line we will be able to more consistently run the football and protect Baker until he finds someone open, so we wouldn’t be in these positions in the first place.
July 22nd, 2026 at 2:49 pm
BucsFan2023 Says:
July 22nd, 2026 at 9:50 am
This is the same offensive line that was starting the beginning of last season when the team had such a great start
I have to wonder if some folks in here even watch the games.
The Bucs NEVER started a single game last year with this oline. Week 1 Barton waa starting at LT which caused a major shuffle on the oline. Week 2 was the same w8th only Mauch and Luke in their starting spots. Then in that game those 2 were hurt.
July 22nd, 2026 at 2:56 pm
St. Pete Matt——
I’ve read many of your posts, and your piper always plays the same tune—HERO WORSHIP!
You and your ilk idealize Mayfield to the point that criticism feels almost like a personal attack. Mayfield’s image becomes more important than objective evaluation.
Your brain eagerly accepts information that praises your leader, in this case Baker, and dismiss information that doesn’t.
You don’t start with evidence and reach a conclusion. You start with the conclusion (“my leader is right”) and then search for reasons to justify it, like with the response to my post.
When faced with undeniable evidence that Mayfield has failed, it’s psychologically easier to blame teammates, referees, the media, the opposition, or conspiracies than to admit that Baker made a mistake.
In psychology: If it reaches the point where nothing the leader does is ever considered wrong, regardless of the evidence, then you’re no longer dealing with ordinary fandom or political support. The leader has become effectively infallible in your mind. Any contradictory evidence is automatically reinterpreted or rejected.
Humans have a tendency to tie admired figures to their own identity, and once that happens, changing one’s opinion can feel like admitting a personal failure rather than simply revising a belief.
And finally: The hallmark isn’t that someone occasionally defends a leader—that’s normal. The hallmark is asymmetry:
1. Success is always credited to the leader.
2. Failure is always blamed on someone else.
3. Evidence that contradicts this pattern is ignored, minimized, or rationalized.
At that point, the person’s allegiance has become less about evaluating reality and more about preserving an identity and the worldview, Baker is great! When will the rest of Bucs nation realize this?
Come on, man. Your hero is just as screwed up as the rest of us, including you and me.
He throws a football further, and sometimes with more accuracy (haha). When will you people realize that elevating him only diminishes you??
People see better after removing their blinders. Give it a try.
July 22nd, 2026 at 4:36 pm
Darn,, weren’t we so desperate on the line last year that we paid the best player in NBA history to switch sports and unretire?? Even MJ got hurt ! I mean WTH , wasn’t the Big Rig available , he was in Tampa hanging around last year
July 22nd, 2026 at 7:50 pm
Can’t help but think the time out at LT was a big speed bump on Barton’s development. I mean, years from now maybe he looks back and says how much he got out of it. But not good to be all over the place like that in Year 2.
But with Skule back and Chuckwama a year under his belt, that shouldn’t be necessary this year. God willing
July 22nd, 2026 at 11:44 pm
Actually, there’s several things Mayfield does that drive me nuts- especially getting happy feet. I do think he gave up on a few plays too early late last year. The guy is not infallible, but he is very good and we should keep him. Without people like me arguing on his behalf, these nutbags would get him run out of town which is a grievous error. And those things don’t show up when he has protection. I want the whole team to be good, not just Mayfield. Losing Mayfield will make the team bad for a long, long time. I can’t abide by that.
July 23rd, 2026 at 7:43 am
@JA WTF! Lol! ” Baker makes mistakes” it called being human . He is the best option right now ,it is what it is .Your dissertation did you write all of that looking in the mirror..Jesus help us! Beer is good …
July 23rd, 2026 at 8:11 am
Pittsburgh drafted a qb,kept Rogers because its the best option right now its not brain surgery ! Ill spell it out if the bucs had drafted a qb you would still be watching mayfield this season and if he did leave for Pittsburgh that team would have been a bigger pain in the azz then they already are.. No dissertation needed !
July 23rd, 2026 at 11:05 am
I wish we could have seen a few years of these OL starters.
#1
LT Tristan Wirfs
LG Ali Marpet
C Ryan Jensen
RG Cody Mauch
RT Luke Goedeke