The Crumbling Of The Offensive Line
November 26th, 2025
Suddenly weak.
Last year Joe thought the Bucs’ offensive line was maybe the strongest unit on the team.
It’s slowly turning into a trainwreck.
Sure. the Bucs have injuries up front. First it was Tristan Wirfs, then it was Luke Goedeke then it was Cody Mauch. Then, Ben Bredeson.
Mauch is out for the year. Wirfs and Goedeke are back in the starting lineup. Bredeson will shortly, too.
Watching the Rams sealclub the Bucs on Sunday night, the first thing that jumped out to Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic on the Bucs’ offense was that the Rams’ defensive line simply owned the offensive line.
Bucs’ O-line overmatched
Even before Mayfield exited the game, he and the Bucs offense had few answers for the pressure from the Rams’ defensive line and blitzers. And Mayfield had to account for both: Whether it was Josh Wallace, the slot cornerback playing in relief of an injured Quentin Lake, who blitzed to force an incompletion and ran a simulated pressure to force another; or outside linebacker Jared Verse, who got to Mayfield for a sack on a three-man rush.
Per Next Gen Stats, Mayfield was 0 for 4 with an interception when pressured, but as mentioned, it was the simulated looks that seemed to affect him, too. Mayfield tried to get the ball out quick but was 5 for 11 for just 12 yards when throwing under 2.5 seconds, per Next Gen.
Joe is curious to see what Bredeson’s return does for the line. Joe is actually shocked how Tristan Wirfs, at times this season, has looked positively mortal. He seemed to be doing better earlier in the year.
Ever since Chase Young got over on Wirfs a couple of times in New Orleans, Wirfs has too often played average football. Joe wonders if Wirfs has fully returned to his physical beast self prior to having knee surgery?
The line has been a mess for much of the past month.
November 26th, 2025 at 9:07 am
ANOTHER JASON LIGHT SCREW UP .BRANDIN COOKS WAS FREED FROM THE SAINTS THE VETERAN RECEIVER, WHO WANTED MORE PLAYING TIME. NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR JASON LIGHT . BUT PLENTY GOOD FOR THE BILLS WHO SIGNED HIM ! FIRE LIGHT WHO DOES NOTHING TO HELP AND FITE THIS WHOLE INEPT COACHING STAFF ! THEY DONT WANT TO WIN . 😡
November 26th, 2025 at 9:11 am
Bingo.
What is the harm of brining Cooks in as a number 5 receiver. Test him out, if he into longer has it, let
November 26th, 2025 at 9:11 am
If no longer has it, let him go
November 26th, 2025 at 9:15 am
I read many other team sites like this one. And MOST are complaining about their offensive lines, including the Lions and Patriots. Almost every team has injured O-lineman. Lack of continuity kills communication especially with all the stunting and exotic blitzes defenses use now more than ever.
November 26th, 2025 at 9:16 am
Cooks made it through waivers and was then signed by the Bills. He doesn’t have much left in the tank. And who we have already and the ones coming back – Godwin, Evans, JMac – are infinitely better. That’s why we passed.
Just curious – who would you hire to replace Jason? You never fire someone until you have a replacement in mind and ready to go.
November 26th, 2025 at 9:22 am
The decline is understandable
The only unit that gets a pass from me
November 26th, 2025 at 9:22 am
You can’t block anybody you can’t open run Lanes fire Todd
November 26th, 2025 at 9:23 am
Les and Whatevs,
Are you kidding me?
Cooks is not any good at all. Get real.
People see a name and they freak out. Cooks hasn’t produced in years.
November 26th, 2025 at 9:24 am
Whatevs Says:
November 26th, 2025 at 9:11 am
“If no longer has it, let him go”
Or, you could see the obvious and not bother at all.
November 26th, 2025 at 9:24 am
No Cody Mauch; No Wirfs for 4 games. Players playing out of position. Backups weak.
November 26th, 2025 at 9:24 am
For real another receiver? That’s not why we’re losing lol.
November 26th, 2025 at 9:28 am
I’d find out whomever does most of the evaluation for pro personnel and the draft from Les Snead and Howie Roseman and promote them to their opportunity to build a team reflecting their principles
November 26th, 2025 at 9:29 am
People blaming JL for bad luck on the injury front. Do you even know what a bad GM looks like!?! Rookies.
November 26th, 2025 at 9:36 am
This is what overconfidence looks like. “We got this, we don’t need other players”. The team quit, fire Bowles!
November 26th, 2025 at 9:42 am
Receiver is definitely why we are losing but Cooks couldn’t help. We need our WR 1,2,3 back and at full strength. Once that happens we should be on a roll right into the playoffs.
November 26th, 2025 at 9:42 am
For weeks we have seen passes behind the sticks…..not dump offs….but by design.
Baker has no time and defenses are covering these short passes. He seems to be immediately throwing to WRs….not RBs behind the sticks.
Our receivers are not creating separation because they have no time.
Something is dreadfully wrong with our Oline pass protection
November 26th, 2025 at 9:43 am
It’s fair to point out – the whole 21 draft was a 0 and he doesn’t seem to know how to navigate the comp pick rules
That being said he gets a pass from me after moving on from Bowles bc I honestly can’t tell you how talented our guys are without real coaching
There’s a disconnect between talent level and performance on this D – we need an innovative DC to implement a new system and evaluate with fresh eyes
And the new HC must be an innovative offensive mind – at the beginning of the college season I liked Miamis OC but I’m all ears for suggestions
And I get the argument of grass being greener but it’s time to look over the fence
Could be a wrong swing but take 1 – take 3 you got nothing to lose – the SB window w/ David, Evan’s and Godwin is over – maybe you get another partial yr from Mike but at what $ cost – time to rebuild the front 7 and get new weapons, depth on OL – lotta work to do but I think Baker is worth building around
Gonna take more than the draft though
November 26th, 2025 at 9:44 am
Watching these games it’s pretty clear
1 – Wirfs isn’t right. Maybe he never will be again.
2 – Barton is out of position.
3 – Bredeson is more important than we think.
November 26th, 2025 at 9:49 am
Injuries have absolutely OBLITERATED the offense this year.
It’s a combination of everything….
Now we got our QB with more injuries…..
We CAN run the ball but our passing game & route concepts are crap.
Buh-bye Grizzard!! You not ready for the smoke just yet…
November 26th, 2025 at 9:49 am
The Oline has been a mess all year, the defense has been very poor most of the year, yet here we sit at 6-5 having gotten through the toughest part of the regular season. I think we would have all taken that record. However, it’s looked so bad lately that I’m to the point of wanting wholesale changes in coaching. Next draft should be DE and LB in all rounds. Or trade some picks for proven veterans. So tired of the JAGs. Yaya hustles and has potential. Who else besides Vita?
November 26th, 2025 at 9:51 am
If the play calling was more creative the oline would be playing alot better.
November 26th, 2025 at 10:06 am
Both sides of the ball need to get better quick. It pains me to say it but I can see the Bucs losing too many more games.
November 26th, 2025 at 10:18 am
Grizzard isn’t cutting it at all. Bowles isn’t cutting it at all. Whoever that imbecile is coaching special teams should be deported to Antarctica, coated with fish guts, and fed to rabid penguins. Please, feel free to not bother reminding me his name.
Which brings us to Sunday and the birds. This is a must win game. Our only saving grace is that those guys would probably rather fish for a high draft pick than beat us. Bowles has rallied the troops late in the year in the past, but this year feels different. That offensive line is more a symptom of a deeper rot than an actual fault in and of itself. The winds blow ill.
November 26th, 2025 at 10:37 am
You should do an article about the non emergence of Chris Braswell Jason Licht’s golden boy he’s on pace for 24 total tackles this year Remember he was going to thrill the entire NFL world FJ