The State Of Charlie Heck Address
August 21st, 2025
Week 1 starting left tackle Charlie Heck.
So the guy handed the keys to the Buccaneers’ left tackle job for at least a couple of games has very little NFL experience at the position.
Joe hasn’t researched all the snap counts on Charlie Heck, but CBS says it’s less than 100 snaps at left tackle, with 1,000-plus at right tackle.
The 28-year-old journeyman will temporarily replace Bucs legend Tristan Wirfs, who is recovering from knee surgery.
Heck got through training camp and two preseason games healthy. That’s huge. And while he made some fans wince at times, Joe thinks Heck looks capable and the Bucs are about to find out if he is.
Joe asked Todd Bowles today to assess Heck’s summer and what he learned about the veteran.
“He’s learned a lot,” Bowles said of Heck. “You know, he’s gotten a lot of experience. He’s going to go against a Pro Bowl edge rusher every week, including the practice that he’s in. He’s a competitor and he’s tough. He’s got some technical things to work out: he’s got to stay low because of his height. But he’s done some very good things for us as well. Right now, going into Week 1, he’ll be our starter. You know, we believe in him and we’ll work with him. and we’ll go from there.”
Bowles sounded like a guy who knows 6-foot-8 Heck is a serviceable backup but not more, not yet.
Joe and fellow Bucs fans had dreams that Heck would look like a solid starter this summer and Bowles would have said something today like, “Charlie can start for a lot of teams in this league and he’s been a very pleasant surprise. He fits right in.” But that’s not the situation.
Heck is a bit of a wild card. Nobody knows how well he can hold up for 60 minutes.
Hang in there, Charlie. Make the most of this opportunity.
August 21st, 2025 at 6:59 pm
The bad news is we’re going to be down to our 2nd string tackle against Atlanta. The good news is they’ll be down to their 3rd string tackle against us.
August 21st, 2025 at 7:19 pm
Skule signed for roughly the same money we paid Heck, did he just not want to be here anymore?
August 21st, 2025 at 7:44 pm
both teams blind side tackles too
August 21st, 2025 at 7:45 pm
thought we’d never forget his horrible game i guess beej haha
August 21st, 2025 at 7:48 pm
RUN the ball, add a TE to that side. Atlanta has a rookie DE, It’s a best case scenario if Wirfs can’t go.
We have to WIN this game, it will set the tone for the year! We don’t want to leave Atlanta with that team thinking they have a snowballs chance in Georgia that they have our number.
August 21st, 2025 at 7:50 pm
I would have preferred Skule, given that he signed for very little more. But Heck has been adequate in practice and preseason games, for a backup thrown into the fire. My panic level for LT has dropped from 9/10 to 4/10. Hopefully Wirfs is back soon at 100%
August 21st, 2025 at 7:58 pm
Heck looks like an editorial newspaper cartoon of some kind. No offense to the guy.
August 21st, 2025 at 7:59 pm
Licht screwed up big time. No excuses. It’s his job to make sure a) Wirfs doesn’t, out of the effn blue, require knee surgery on the eve of training camp and b) a quality left tackle is on the roster to back up Wirfs at all times in order to protect our franchise QB and this team.
It’s irresponsible to have missed (or otherwise not addressed) a torn ligament on the knee of your starting left tackle for an entire offseason leading up to training camp. If Heck can’t cut it for the first few weeks make sure you blame Licht because Heck had no business being in that position to begin with.
August 21st, 2025 at 8:32 pm
Beeej. He could have resigned with the Bucs but at the time it looked like he would not be getting any playing time. The Viking Tackle will be out for half the season so he knew if he went there he’d get to start some games and prove himself a NFL caliber starter. It had nothing to do with money or not liking it here. He just wants to start somewhere and get that bag.
August 21st, 2025 at 8:40 pm
Licht had the chance to sign a real LT and chose not to. Hopefully Heck can hold his own against Atl and Hou. I agree that he is going to need help and I would be surprised if the Bucs try to run behind him. Luckily Baker has a fast release and is mobile. Just hope Wirfs comes back in week three.
August 21st, 2025 at 8:43 pm
Stanglassman. Same can be said for Hainsey. You’d have to float double, triple the money or more to a guy to get him to stick with the team as a backup versus finally getting his shot to start, opening the door potentially to a big payday down the road.
August 21st, 2025 at 8:49 pm
buc4evr: “Licht had the chance to sign a real LT and chose not to.”
Who, exactly? Keeping in mind, of course that whoever that mythical guy is would know that he’d be riding the pine after a game or two for the rest of the season. Gotta offer a potential starter a ton of money to become a known, eventual backup. It’s not career suicide but close compered to a solid starting role that could last the whole season.
Sorry, bro, but that mythical scenario in your head just doesn’t play.
August 21st, 2025 at 8:58 pm
Unlike reporters, who seem to be avoiding Charlie Heck or ignoring him completely, I’ve been watching him every single play – at least during preseason games, which re the only times I get to see him.
He’s no Wirfs but he isn’t a scrub, either. I’d say that at worst, his play at left tackle is about as good as Ben Bredeson’s at left guard. Not wincingly horrible, not close to top 10. Probably both are slightly below average.
Anyone expecting a backup to be starter quality – especially at the most coveted, difficult offensive line position, is delusional. He’s an adequate placeholder that won’t kill the team and I expect to be far better than Skule was in his first game last season. He won’t hurt them in the run game at all. Of that, I’m pretty sure, so expect runs to the left and right to be just as successful.
August 21st, 2025 at 9:20 pm
Wirfs & Godwin to be removed from the PUP and placed on the 53 man roster.
August 21st, 2025 at 9:44 pm
He looks like the enterprise car rental agent you find at the airport of any flyover city.
August 21st, 2025 at 10:56 pm
No doubt in my mind they destroy Atlanta. I’m worried about Houston’s pass rush game 2.
Both games are going to need a tight end helping over there and you’ll probably see the offense with a lot of quick passes and runs the first few games
August 21st, 2025 at 11:06 pm
All he can do is the best he can do.
August 21st, 2025 at 11:08 pm
I truly believe some of you guys are Saints or Falcons fans and you come here to stir dissent.
Off topic, @Joes thanks much for the practice notes. Being up here in Georgia, news about our Bucs is a little hard to get. I appreciate all the work that ya’ll do.
August 21st, 2025 at 11:34 pm
Just a thought: Luke Goedke > Charlie Heck
Who would you rather run the “Can he be an LT” experiment on? Luke Goedke, who is an ascending player – or an unwanted street FA with virtually no experience either in Charlie Heck? Do you really want to trust an unknown nobody to safeguard the blindside of your franchise QB?
Give me as much certainty as possible when it comes down to it. If this is 4 games of duck and cover, I want the best player I can use to protect the guy leading the team. Put Heck in at RT and slide Goedke over to LT. It’s an equally difficult task for both to move from right to left, so take the more talented guy to protect Baker. This isn’t rocket science after all.
August 21st, 2025 at 11:37 pm
@Scotty Mack. Where were you back in July? Joe posted a report about the fact that Jason had a chance to sign a real tackle: George Fant. Fant just signed with Washington 3 days ago.
August 21st, 2025 at 11:50 pm
I Fant believe it!
August 21st, 2025 at 11:56 pm
@buc4evr –
Here’s what Seahawks sports columnists think about Fant, fyi:
“if Washington is going to be forced to count on Fant, that is likely not a good thing. He’s never been very good at blocking for the run, and has been increasingly inconsistent as a pass blocker. In 16 pass-block snaps for the Seahawks in 2024, he allowed three total pressures, including two sacks.
Of course, Fant is no longer the Seahawks’ problem. That issue lies with the Washington Commanders. The surprising part is that any team gave the now-33-year-old offensive tackle another chance.”
Perhaps Heck, who is only 28 yo, provides more upside, even if less experienced?
August 21st, 2025 at 11:56 pm
Wow. Word on the street (that is, from the Seahawks) is that Fant was never very good in the run game and grew increasingly inconsistent in the pass. Added to that is that he is injury prone.
And that’s the guy we should slobber over? I think not.
August 22nd, 2025 at 12:02 am
Fant started for playoff teams. How bad could he be?
August 22nd, 2025 at 12:10 am
In other words, “Remember Justin Skule against the Lions last season. Yeah. That.”
A real head coach who understands accountability would order Griz to strap a TE on pornstache’s hip every play, or a 6th offensive lineman, so as not to kill Baker and send the season up in smoke by halftime of week 1.
But we don’t have one of those.
August 22nd, 2025 at 12:16 am
at least Fant could be a back up and is a decent run blocker. It remains to be seen if Heck is going to be better than Fant, but it doesn’t seem like Bowles is sold on him from Joe’s article. The Commanders saw something in the guy.
August 22nd, 2025 at 1:14 am
I’ve watched Heck as much as I can on the TV. I haven’t really noticed him totally screwing up ,he hasn’t been a penalty machine, although it’s just preseason The QBs haven’t been sacked repeatedly from his side. Give the guy a chance he looks a bit out of place from time to time but so far he has been about average We no doubt will need a TE or a chip from RBs to help him out some but so far I’m not worried. Heck hasn’t be a burden so far . Our O-line coaches are earning their keep Keep the faith BUC FANS.
August 22nd, 2025 at 1:26 am
I wish people here would stop referring to Skule’s first game last season. He’s a natural LT. He played much better when he filled in for Tristan when he was out, and looked much better than Heck has at LT so far.
We already heard the so called Ring of Honor GM make excuses by saying Skule got away. And according to some here( hint hint)Jason is a dollar store kinda guy. If Jason thinks the Bucs are all in for this year, he should have paid Skule, or gone out and found someone better than claiming Heck was more “athletic ” than Skule. Excuses, excuses, Jason.
Rich Mackay should be in the Ring of Honor before Jason. Especially when Jason screwed up Brady’s last year by leaving the cupboard bear on the o-line. That was shear malfeasance on Jason’s part. My Momma is still pissed about that.
August 22nd, 2025 at 4:33 am
A backup swing tackle is worth a high draft pick.
We destroyed the Chiefs because they had two backup tackles in the game.
I feel okay with our depth on the interior line.
Skule looked great at LT and bad at RT.
Now we have the opposite problem. We are forcing a RT to play LT.
We should have signed Skule and Heck.
August 22nd, 2025 at 5:33 am
Chukwama is training to be our homegrown swing tackle
August 22nd, 2025 at 6:48 am
I dont know how the best jason could do was a guy with 100 snaps at left tackle. 100? isnt there someone with a few more?
they didnt exactly bring in a couple to make it interesting, they just handed over the keys to heck as mentioned. i guess the expect wirfs to be back quickly, but then again they didnt think he would need surgery either.
i think baker is going to need every bit of his scrambling skills.
August 22nd, 2025 at 7:04 am
Joe Says:
August 22nd, 2025 at 12:02 am
Wow. Word on the street (that is, from the Seahawks) is that Fant was never very good in the run game and grew increasingly inconsistent in the pass. Added to that is that he is injury prone.
And that’s the guy we should slobber over? I think not.
Fant started for playoff teams. How bad could he be?
So did Donovan Smith!!
August 22nd, 2025 at 7:13 am
I think he has a couple of great O line coaches who can make him a much better player soo…Up to him. He has the tools.
Go Bucs!
August 22nd, 2025 at 7:54 am
Bucs don’t seem Atlanta ready to me.
August 22nd, 2025 at 8:09 am
Some of you guys are ridiculous – Licht’s track record when signing offensive linemen is pretty damn good. I’ll trust his judgement here. You all wanted Fant because he’s a “name”. Durable Donnie was (and still is) available too – plenty of experience but Licht didn’t even entertain it.
Also – I believe the Bucs have some of the better offensive line coaching in the NFL. No matter who they put in (Hainsey, Skule) they rise to the occasion. Skule looked better once he got starters reps (looked awful when first inserted). Gotta believe coaching had a lot to do with it.
August 22nd, 2025 at 8:36 am
I fear the line, “Oh what the Heck!” Will be screamed alot in my house for the first month of season
August 22nd, 2025 at 8:38 am
Less concerned about the Atlanta game because we’ll run it down their collective throat and they have a weak pass rush. Much more concerned about the Houston Texans pass rush. Also really confident that the defense will shut Penix down. The Texan game will be close.
August 22nd, 2025 at 9:22 am
Irish – let’s have a few pints and discuss your confidence that a coach who can make Spencer Rattler, Cooper Rush, Kirk’s Cousin, and a playoff rookie QB all look like the second coming of Dan Marino meets John Elway, can shut down Michael’s Penix?
August 22nd, 2025 at 9:33 am
Joe: that same idiot logic of starting playoff games means Kenyatta Walker was a good player too, right? We don’t need Fant.
Listen, I’m sure Heck will do a Heck of a job, but it’s got more to do with an intelligent OC who isn’t going to hang him out to dry on every single snap.
August 22nd, 2025 at 10:31 am
Good God, some of these guys sound like the coaches daughter in Remember the Titans… Barton could go out there and then can Opeta snap or Bedeson I know has, so Opeta, guard, Bredman, center . Thank you. Let’s Go Bucs!!!!
August 22nd, 2025 at 6:20 pm
Thanks to several here for the backup. I’ll take Heck over Fant any day of the week. With all of the injuries already to tackles in the NFL this preseason, there’s a reason he was still sitting at home, hoping for the phone to ring up until a few days ago.
August 22nd, 2025 at 6:31 pm
Joe, incidentally, sure seemed to think Heck was an upgrade over Skule when he announced the signing on this website back on March 16th.