Bucs Gameday

Buccaneers' Offensive Starter in Jeopardy of Missing Season Opener

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offensive line isn't what it used to be. Which makes this most recent injury report all the more troubling for a team that is looking to prove their doubters wrong in 2023.

Collin Haalboom

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During the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' window of contention -- you know, when Tom Brady was their quarterback -- the team was lucky enough to have one of the best offensive lines in the game. 

The prolific performance of the Buccaneers' offense during that time was no coincidence. 

There is a direct correlation between having one of the highest-scoring teams in the league across the 2020 and 2021 seasons, and their 45-year-old quarterback almost always having a clean pocket to work with. 

The glory days. 

Fast forward to the 2023 NFL Draft. With Tom Brady no longer around, the Buccaneers didn't make a move for a QB to replace him but instead chose to address the trenches. With their second-round pick, Tampa Bay selected Cody Mauch, an athletic tackle from North Dakota State, to help reinforce a group that was ravaged by injury and retirement the previous season -- Brady's last hoorah. 

Bucs fans know how important a good O-line is. That is why they were thrilled to see their GM use a high pick on a young, talented, and nasty offensive line prospect like Cody Mauch.

READ MORE: Former Buccaneer Believes Mike Evans Should Play for Detroit Lions

As far as Jason Licht's preferences go, Mauch fits the bill. 

He's a gritty, small-school player, who developed a reputation for 'playing through the whistle' throughout his collegiate career. His background was very similar to Ali Marpet, Ryan Jensen, and Alex Cappa, each of whom ended up playing a pivotal role in the Bucs' success during the Tom Brady era in Tampa. 

Although the expectations aren't the same in Tampa as they were heading into each of those Tom Brady-led seasons, there are still plenty of reasons for fans to get excited about watching their favorite team play every week. Seeing a tough-nosed player like Cody Mauch start at right guard as a rookie is absolutely one of those reasons. 

Which is why it was such a tough break for the Buccaneers, and their fans, when Cody Mauch popped up on the team's injury report earlier today, just a couple of days before he was set to make his long-awaited NFL debut.

Todd Bowles fielded questions after practice, with the status of Cody Mauch being front and center. 

"He's just got spasms right now so we'll see how he feels on Sunday. Don't know how that's going to be."

When asked how the injury occurred, Bowles offered the following response: "Didn't happen playing football. I mean, he bent over in his stance and he went down."

Bowles also said that if Mauch is in fact unable to go on Sunday vs. Minnesota, Aaron Stinnie would be the most likely candidate to replace him in the starting lineup at right guard. 

READ MORE: Tampa Bay Buccaneers First Round Pick Returns to Practice

Not great news for the Buccaneers, who are eager to prove their many doubters wrong this season. That's no knock on Aaron Stinnie, who has proven to be a capable reserve offensive lineman over the past few seasons. 

If anything, it's more of an indication of just how vulnerable this Bucs' offensive line has become over the past two seasons.

Stick with BucsGameday and the Locked On Bucs podcast for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout Training Camp.

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Collin Haalboom
COLLIN HAALBOOM

Prior to joining BucsGameday and Sports Illustrated, Collin's written content was provided through Bucs Banter, and NFL Draft Lounge. He is also the creator and host of the Bucs Banter Podcast. He is a graduate of the Communication Studies program at McMaster University, where he was also a varsity basketball player, and later an advanced scout. He lives with his wife and two children in Hamilton, ON. You can follow Collin on YouTube and Twitter.