Baker Mayfield “Didn’t Trust His Offensive Line”
February 7th, 2026
Is this why Baker Mayfield had a rough second half of the season?
After the bye week, Mayfield threw 13 touchdowns and 9 interceptions in 9 games. Not good, but it was a different kind of horror show versus the one featuring Jameis Winston throwing 19 touchdowns and 18 interceptions in his final 9 games of the 2019 Bucs season.
Mayfield had various injuries in his final 9 games. Were the injuries limiting him?
That’s a mystery, but Bucs legend and official team operative and Xs and Os analyst Rondé Barber is adamant that those injuries were a factor, as was Mayfield’s mental state playing behind guys like guards Michael Jordan and Dan Feeney.
“[The injuries] messed with him and he didn’t trust his offensive line. You could see it. He was jittery. He was quick,” Barber said with passion this week on the WFLA streaming show that bears his name.”
Imagine if a healthy offensive line is all Mayfield needs to get his game right. Throw in a healthy receiving corps and Bucky Irving doing Bucky things, and the Bucs could be a highly dangerous team again in September.
February 7th, 2026 at 2:34 pm
Can’t play good foosball with a weak offensive or defensive line.
February 7th, 2026 at 2:42 pm
We need a REAL center. Barton gets rag dolled and the opposition film study has figured out his weaknesses.
Maybe he can grow into the position but I ain’t seeing it.
We are in the NEEDS zone now in several positions,
That said I am now in the trade down if possible from the 15 draft slot.
A REAL experienced MoFo center is mandatory.
Not since Ryan Jensen have we had a dawg !
February 7th, 2026 at 2:53 pm
The Oline was a carousel of characters.
February 7th, 2026 at 3:00 pm
SB~LV 🏈 Says:
“We need a REAL center. Barton gets rag dolled and the opposition film study has figured out his weaknesses.”
I imagine part of that is the guards not doing well. Hopefully he add more power and the OGs will be fixed.
Bet every Bucs fan will be holding their breath all season long this year.
February 7th, 2026 at 3:14 pm
BB agreed about guard play and overall lack of continuity playing as a unit, which the OL is , and that takes having the right players and having them working together over time.
February 7th, 2026 at 3:24 pm
😂
ROTFLMAO
February 7th, 2026 at 3:29 pm
Good chance they tried bredeson at center and move Barton over to guard. Bredeson proved to be a very solid center when he was in there. And Barton might be better at guard.
February 7th, 2026 at 4:21 pm
Another Licht hyped up player, but this time on offense. Barton, the guy gets bull rushed, and outplayed by defensive linemen on a regular basis. As far as the third string guards, Baker had no time with the swinging turnstile interior line.
February 7th, 2026 at 5:00 pm
I kinda figured mauch would go to center and graham at guard on madden I made a different o-line Graham at LT Wirfs at guard Ben at center mauch at guard and Luke at RT works like a dream to bad the nfl isn’t a plug and play like video games
February 7th, 2026 at 5:05 pm
It’s too soon to pronounce Barton a bust, Jason Kelce didn’t bloom until year 5
February 7th, 2026 at 5:08 pm
Injuries , offensive line, all kinds of excuses so I guess it’s not possible that Baker was just bad as well?? 2-7 in your last nine games and our “leader” Baker Mayfield and our defensive minded head coach who looks like he can’t coach defense did nothing to stop the slide…..any more excuses that you want to offer up? How about they were just bad and played with zero urgency. Done
February 7th, 2026 at 5:39 pm
“Imagine if a healthy offensive line is all Mayfield needs to get his game right.“
Every QB in the NFL thrives when they have time.
February 7th, 2026 at 8:12 pm
We instead ought to hope to be dangerous again in December and January.
February 7th, 2026 at 8:14 pm
Hard to evaluate Barton as he often had practice squad and UFL level talent playing next to him at Guard. It is interesting to note that Bredison did an adequate job at C when the Bucs swung Barton out to tackle when Wirfs was hurt. The Wirfs injury was never really explained to fans, why did the surgery really happen so late? Who dropped the ball, Wirfs’ personal doctor or Tampa medical staff? I thought the shift caught the ATL off guard but Rah is like Bowles, never adjust but it worked in Houston as well though Mauch got injured and so did Baker and the O line deteriorated. Shifting Barton may not be the worst idea but opponents will study Bredison and find holes in his game too. Bucs just need more depth on OL. How much did the Bucs miss Robert Hainsey, he ended up starting for the Jags, another Licht mistake?. He had money for Zyon but not Hainsey or Justin Skule for that matter?
February 7th, 2026 at 9:27 pm
Need better depth on the oline. Barton was solid with coen and helped lead the Bucs to the 3rd best rushing team after being dead last 2 years in a row. Highly doubt it’s Barton fault. Fall guy grizz and Bucky just having a bad year. Trenches is how you build winning teams. Gotta get better depth on offense and loads better on the defensive line. Vea is really all we got and that boy is gettin long in the tooth
February 7th, 2026 at 10:20 pm
Dangerous in September. With Todd as coach, losing in December.
February 8th, 2026 at 2:05 am
@Steven007
That’s what I say. Put Barton at guard. He’d probably be better there because when he was at Duke he was playing guard & tackle.
February 8th, 2026 at 3:13 am
Brederson is perfect at center.
Huge lower body. Much thicker than Barton.
And Barton is much quicker and faster than Brederson. So he’d be better at guard.
So we would improve at both center and guard.
We also need to teach Chukwuma how to play LG.
February 8th, 2026 at 6:18 am
Remeber the GOAT was less than his stellar self his final season. I maintain that it was not because his skills were that deteriorated as some think. His center was getting bullied and one of his guards should have been in Canada. Luke was out of position and still not what he is now. Donovan was playing like he wanted out of town. It showed up in the dirt balls and not throwing the long ball.
Same as Baker last year. Except Baker pulls it down and takes off which TB could not do.
Go Bucs!
February 8th, 2026 at 12:44 pm
Yes, once we lost both guards we rarely threw a pass over 5 yards. Mayfield was under siege. Not even Barton was enough in the middle with 2 turnstile guards- especially in pass protection. They weren’t all that great run blockers either.
February 8th, 2026 at 3:31 pm
Watch guys get injured in preseason. Its happened 2 years in a row now