In 2024, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hit on an offensive line combination that produced the best results that unit had generated in a long time. That included an extremely dramatic improvement in the ground game, up to number four in the NFL after two straight seasons finishing dead last, and a per-carry average of 5.25 yards that set a new franchise single-season record.
The crew consisted of three players returning from the Bucs' 2023 O-Line, all drafted in the first or second round since 2020: left tackle Tristan Wirfs, right tackle Luke Goedeke and right guard Cody Mauch. Graham Barton, the team's first-round pick that year, stepped right into the center spot while midlevel free agency acquisition Ben Bredeson claimed the left guard job. That group had size, strength, athleticism, mobility, technical acumen and – crucially – good health.
The Bucs' starting five offensive linemen in 2024 combined to play 5,489 of the 5,950 offensive snaps for the Bucs, playoffs included, or 92.3% of the available playing time. Goedeke missed four early-season games due to a concussion but he was the only one of the five to sit out more than a single game. Understandably, the Buccaneers signed Goedeke to an extension in 2025, brought back Bredeson on a second contract and prepared to roll through the season with the same five who were so successful the year before.
Unfortunately, all that continuity evaporated, beginning with the All-Pro Wirfs missing the first three games as a result of July knee surgery. Barton was the only one of the five to miss fewer than five games due to injury and both Bredeson and Mauch were on injured reserve by season's end. This time around, that group of five accounted for 3,346 of a possible 5,670 O-Line snaps, or 59.0%.
Mauch had the worst misfortune, suffering a torn meniscus in a Week Two Monday Night Football win at Houston. He finished the game, playing every snap, but an exam the next day revealed the injury and he was placed on season-ending injured reserve. This was brand new territory to Mauch, who says he had never previously missed a single snap due to injury, dating all the way back to high school.
That, of course, meant the resulting rehabilitation process was also completely new to Mauch. It was disconcerting at first, watching his linemates on the practice field through the training room windows, but he eventually settled into a routine and worked his way back. All the way back. On Tuesday, the Buccaneers conducted their first of a series of 10 OTA practices – which are relatively close in nature to in-season practices – and Mauch was a full and very happy participant.
"Rehab's done now, so I finally put that behind me," he said. "I'm back out here. I've been looking forward to this for a while, so it's good to be back.
"So far it's been feeling great. Right away I'm just trying to get used to playing with a knee brace again, but I was talking to Ben today and it's like, it already feels…you're not thinking about the knee brace. It feels back to normal. It was a great day. I wasn't worried about the knee one bit, so that's good."
Mauch was so pleased to be back in the practice mix with his teammates and feeling no residual issues that he couldn't wait to get home to tell his wife Carley about it.
"It's weird that the last time I was out on this field with a helmet on was September," he recounted. "That just seems so long ago. I was really, really excited to get out here today. I just texted my wife, like I was just so happy that my knee felt great and everything. So we were just kind of pumped about that. I think the biggest thing with the whole rehab process is just taking your small wins, and I'm counting today a really big win. So I'm pretty excited about that."
Mauch had to learn how to adjust his diet to account for the sharp reduction in cardio work while his knee was out of commission, and he developed some habits he intends to keep as part of his routine. Even so, he purposely added some weight to his frame since last season, when he was playing at around 315 to 318 pounds. He says he's now at 325 and thinks it won't affect his mobility.
Head Coach Todd Bowles was happy to see Mauch back in action, too. Once again, the Bucs are planning to roll through the 2026 season with the exact same group up front that was so effective in 2024.
"That'll be huge," said Bowles. "Cody was kind of our unsung guy down there, but he's one of the toughest and one of the smartest down there. He packed a lot of weight, as well, so to get him back at that position and get all five guys back was helpful."
Because Wirfs missed the first three games and Mauch was out by Week Three, the Bucs never got to put that group on the field together in 2025. Tampa Bay ended up employing nine different starting offensive line combinations across 17 games. That included the first three with Barton admirably moving out from center to left tackle in Wirfs' absence.
"We didn't get a single snap last year where we all played together," said Mauch. "Obviously, guys stepped in, guys did well, but with all the random lineups we had it's tough as an offensive line to play next to new people all the time. It's going to be huge this offseason and hopefully we all stay healthy and whatnot. We're finally getting some reps back together again, so I'm really excited about that."
