Bucs Likely Need Direction On Injuries With Trade Deadline In Four Days
October 31st, 2025
Trade may hinge on recovery.
You could make an argument that if the Bucs are serious about a Super Bowl run, they cannot stand still and embrace injuries as if they are not going to affect the team.
The offense has stunk the past two games. And Joe thinks that is directly tied to injuries. The Bucs are down five offensive starters — nearly half the offense — including three skill position starters. Six if you include Jalen McMillan.
Bucky Irving ought to be back at some point. Joe hopes Chris Godwin is back, but Joe wonders how much of an impact he can make.
Right guard Cody Mauch is done for the year. There is hope Mike Evans may return in January. McMillan is anyone’s guess. And then there is Luke Goedeke.
The Bucs’ right tackle is one of the best in the game. And with the trade deadline mere hours away, Joe figures if Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht is going to make a trade, it may be for an offensive lineman only because those guys won’t cost as much as an edge rusher or a linebacker or a receiver.
Follicly-challenged Billy Barnwell of BSPN admits Licht is in a pinch.
GM Jason Licht and the Buccaneers can’t realistically expect to replace a half-dozen starters in the trade market. They mainly must hope to get healthy versions of Bucky Irving, Chris Godwin Jr., Luke Goedeke and Mike Evans between now and the end of the season.
Why has the Bucs offense looked like garbage the past two weeks? The offensive line has broken down and it doesn’t make sense to Joe.
With Tristan Wirfs back from injury and Ben Bredeson and Graham Barton returning to their normal positions, the offensive line seemed to be on the rise. Go look how well they blocked in Seattle.
Since the 49ers game, the line has crumbled. That’s why Joe thinks a rental for Goedeke, if the Bucs don’t have a timetable on his return, might be the smartest move.
The defense has played great the past two weeks. The offense has not. Joe suspects that’s because of the line. So maybe going out and getting a rental — which should be cheap since the guy won’t be around next year — might be the way to go.
If Goedeke’s return is a mystery to the team.
October 31st, 2025 at 12:43 am
Joe,
The offense broke down when on Monday night when Grizzard abandoned the run that was working well enough and gave the offensive line the cruel and unusual punishment of trying to keep Baker upright on fifty pass attempts when the defense could forget about the run and sellout on rushing the quarterback on every play.
Then, the beat to Hell offensive line played Sunday on short rest! Of course they were not any kind of fresh or sharp.
But, that is no reason to go trading for offensive linemen.
Talk up trade for a coverage linebacker; that the Bucs could really use.
Two weeks of rehab and some rest should do wonders, and the offensive line should be back th where there were before the Motor City insanity struck.
October 31st, 2025 at 12:57 am
WR and OL. Can’t score enough points if Mayfield is getting mugged and there is no WR to do the dirty work in the middle where Godwin used to occupy. Too risky hoping and wishing that Chris can go over the middle without injury to his leg.
October 31st, 2025 at 2:47 am
The Dolphins loss last night may make some talent ready for trades. Firesale coming.
October 31st, 2025 at 2:47 am
could we trade with the commanders for george fant? I know we had him in for a workout earlier in the year. doesn’t look like they’re playing him. might be a step up from heck.
October 31st, 2025 at 3:01 am
There’s no trades coming – the injuries are too much to overcome
They want to develop Voss so y trade for a starter? They’ll draft Davids replacement from a strong ‘26 class
If they were serious they’d be in the market for a RG (Wyatt Teller/Bitonio/Zeitler) or experiment with moving Barton (Wirfs/Jordan/Bredesen/Haggard/ Barton?)
They also need a WR and a pass rusher but again will look to the draft
The real key is managing how much to spend on Mauch/Kancey/Baker/Otten and not to overpay or rely on injured players (Godwin/JMAC)
Sadly this is a coulda/woulda/shoulda year – but it’ll be fun watching them compete to drop their draft position – sorry I shouldn’t be cynical but the writings on the wall I’m afraid
October 31st, 2025 at 3:53 am
OT, ILB, and WR all are needs. Think if Luke doesn’t come back after the bye, then Jason has to find an OT as the biggest priority. I also think this season is in doubt as far as going deep in the playoffs. Too many key injuries to overcome.
October 31st, 2025 at 4:18 am
Any trades will be for depth.
October 31st, 2025 at 5:04 am
Yeah that’s it! Brilliant toopanca. Poor offensive line had a short week, totally explains it all. You got it all figured out. You know what I think? They should all have spa day, maybe a mani and pedi, that way they can come back super refreshed and invigorated so they’ll be ready to put on those pads and show those mean men how to play some football. There should be even less hitting in practice then there already is too. In fact, why is there even hitting in football. We should take that out. Toxic masculinity if you ask me
October 31st, 2025 at 6:09 am
Defense wins championships
October 31st, 2025 at 6:13 am
Trade Deadline Tuesday,,, RG and WR (Meyers)
October 31st, 2025 at 6:49 am
Left out Cody Mauch
October 31st, 2025 at 7:04 am
“We know Cody Mauch is done for the year”. Who left out Cody Mauch?
October 31st, 2025 at 7:13 am
Warren Sapp was right Buc fans are stupid
October 31st, 2025 at 7:31 am
Cody comment
My mistake for posting/ speed reading before coffee kicks in 😇
October 31st, 2025 at 7:39 am
This is not a Super Bowl year because if the injuries. Develop the young players and go as far as you can. Make a splash in the off season.
October 31st, 2025 at 8:00 am
Charlie Heck is the worst tackle that has started a game in the entire league this year. There is a reason that they preferred moving Barton to left tackle instead of trusting him with Baker’s blindside. If Goedeke is out for any more time, and we do not make a move to replace Heck, this is not a serious Franchise. It’s really that simple. He should not be in the league at all, let alone starting for a team with Super Bowl aspirations. He is THAT bad.
October 31st, 2025 at 8:01 am
I wish the Bucs management were more transparent about Luke. OK, he’s has a foot injury. Broken foot? Turf toe? Heel spur? Just give us the the medical report.
Not a big fan of Jason Licht. Sure he’s made some decent picks, but he’s also made his share of bad picks. I don’t see him pursuing a trade. That’s not him. I’ll be very surprised if he does.
October 31st, 2025 at 8:13 am
I dont think any trades or signings are coming but i’ll play along lol…
Bucs should consider signing OL Kadeem Telford….
OL thats currently on the dolphins practice squad…6’7 325 plays OG & T…plug him in at RG…his strength is run blocking…he’s a complete mauler in the run game…
i said it before, and i’ll say it again, trade for jeffrey simmons!!!!
6-2!!!
GO BUCS!!!
October 31st, 2025 at 8:30 am
Wonder about JPJ, Bucs were mocked to him a ton last year before taking Barton. Barton may be smarter or more mature, but he hasnt played great either. JPJ was benched by the Raiders, played well at C last year but has struggled this season. Tried moving him to guard, looks to be sliding out of favour. Wonder if he could be had for a late pick to improve the middle of the line, could move Barton to RT and put Bredeson or JPJ at center. Both play G as well.
October 31st, 2025 at 8:57 am
It’s a combination of things. With Ebuka hobbled, the Bucs are already without a true #1 WR who can beat man coverage. That means teams like the Saints will play a lot of cover 1. That means they can rush extra players or shut down underneath routes. Both of those things mean less time to throw, which is a bad thing when your line is undermanned. Some combination of players returning should be helpful.
October 31st, 2025 at 9:00 am
Jedrick Wills is a free agent. He decided to sit out “all or most” of this season to allow his knee to heal fully after 2023 surgery and an up and down season last year. Maybe he feels healthy and antsy to play RT for a good line on a contending team before hitting the market in the spring.
A good enough prospect to be drafted ahead of Wirfs. All-SEC, All American RT in college, not as good on left side as a pro.
October 31st, 2025 at 9:21 am
To me the biggest need is WR. As much as I like Embuka, I don’t see us making a Super Bowl run with just him, Shepherd and the Johnsons. I don’t think we can count on Godwin until next year. He may come back this year, but will he be effective? I think not.
October 31st, 2025 at 9:29 am
WR wont be an issue if GRIZZ runs the ball….
the lack of run game has hurt us just as much as injuries…
stick to running the ball and that will open everything else up…
GRIZZ cant be 1 dimensional!!!
6-2!!!
GO BUCS!!!
October 31st, 2025 at 10:37 am
I thought the Bucs should have kept Barton at left tackle when Wirfs returned and put Wirfs at right tackle. Keep Bredeson at center. Guards are easier to plug and play than tackles. At any rate, that scenario is simply a counterfactual that won’t happen, so go out and trade for a rental tackle. If Goedeke returns, great! If not, we’ll have more O-line depth.
At this point, our offensive line is our biggest need. If we can’t sustain drives, that puts too much pressure on the defense. Complimentary football requires each of the three phases of the game to click and right now the O-line is a liability. Not only can we not run the ball, but Mayfield is running around like a chicken with his head cut off. How long will it be before he goes down with an injury.
October 31st, 2025 at 11:39 am
OrlandoBucFan … ‘At this point, our offensive line is our biggest need. If we can’t sustain drives, that puts too much pressure on the defense. Complimentary football requires each of the three phases of the game to click and right now the O-line is a liability.’
It always gets back to the trenches; you gotta have the horses. And yes, right now the OLine is a liability. It’s negatively impacted our running game, and its’ protection of Baker is sub-par (he’s getting pummeled).
The stats through 8 games tell the story. Last year Bucs averaged #3 in TOP with 31:41 per game average. This season we’ve dropped to #11 with a 30:59 average, but over the last 3 games that’s down even further to 29:34 average. That’s a significant change.
Our running attack averaged 5.3 YPC last year to rank #4 in the NFL. This year we’re down to a meager 3.8 YPC & ranked #23 in rushing yards. Same running backs (well, until Bucky got hurt). The OLine is the primary difference IMO (and maybe our new OC).
Our passing attack averaged 7.0 YPR last season to rank #3 in the NFL. This year we’re down considerably to 6.3 YPR to rank #17. Yes we’ve missed Mike Evans for half the season thus far & McMillan for the entire season, but we’ve added Egbuka who’s generated some decent numbers.
Bottom line on offense: the production has fallen off considerably, and I’d contend the heart of the problem is that our OLine has had to play musical chairs (OK, and maybe some of the musicians still aren’t playing the right instruments). Only 4 days left until the trade deadline passes.
October 31st, 2025 at 11:50 am
I’m not sure trading for a RT or RG will do much if our 1st round picks on the o-line continue to play like wet trash. Barton doesn’t appear an ounce stronger than he did last year. Thought/hoped he would have taken a major step up this season but not seeing it at all.
October 31st, 2025 at 12:00 pm
Our receivers, in my opinion, are the issue. The 4th, 5th and 6th can’t be expected to generate offense. Lock down Ebuka and there goes the vertical game.
October 31st, 2025 at 12:15 pm
And I still say this weekend is huge. Falcons and Panthers are in the road, both likely to lose. The Bucs will likely be further ahead despite not playing. They effectively have two bye weeks in terms of not losing any ground in the divisional race.
October 31st, 2025 at 2:09 pm
Why has the Bucs offense looked like garbage the past two weeks?
————
Baker played a terrible game in Detroit, single handedly lost that game. But Wiz Kid did an awful job of calling that game as well, although I don’t know if all the (missed) shots downfield were on the man from Lot Lizard or if it was Baker just keeping trying to hit the home run ball.
But while the stat line stunk vs the Saints, and Baker wasn’t good, he wasn’t terrible either. He still missed a couple of throws, but nothing like in Detroit. The problem in that game was 100% on Wiz Kid calling a terrible game.
Seriously, Bucs, give me a call – I can tell you what Coen would run in pretty much every situation. If you’re still running the same offense, like you claim you are, all you need is a parrot at OC that can repeat what Coen would have done, and you’ll magically see the offense is fixed overnight.
October 31st, 2025 at 3:54 pm
Luke and Bucky will always be injury prone. Bucky has had a chronic foot problem since college. LG should have never received a long term
Deal. That’s a Licht mistake.
October 31st, 2025 at 6:48 pm
Part of the reason the offense has been not very good the past two weeks is Grizzard’s play calling has lacked imagination. It has been a very vanilla offense in the sense that we always seem to run on first down, very little play action and plain stubbornness. Like trying to run the ball up the middle on the goal lone 4 straight times. The other reason is the Lions and the Saints blitzed a lot and the Bucs O line looked confused at times and other times overwhelmed.
October 31st, 2025 at 8:16 pm
I’m trying to figure out why this is not a superbowl year now🤷🏽♂️🤦🏽♂️🤦🏽♂️🤦🏽♂️ everyone have injuries NFC is wide open and we 1 of the 4 best teams… AFC other than KC who do we fear or can’t matchup with even with our current team…unless Baker and Wirf goes down throwing the white flag is not a option