Buccaneers Boosting Offensive Line With Addition Of Former Philadelphia Eagles Starter
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers began to click on offense as the 2023 season progressed. That was part of the reason it was so important to keep quarterback Baker Mayfield and wide receiver Mike Evans with the franchise despite the departure of offensive coordinator Dave Canales. Now that the Buccaneers have locked in the future of their offense, they need to do everything in their power to protect it.
On Friday, the team signed former Philadelphia Eagles guard Sua Opeta to a one-year deal according to BucsGameday's JC Allen. Opeta, who started six games for Philadelphia last year, is the second free agent guard whom the Buccaneers have agreed to terms with this afternoon. They're also bringing in former New York Giants guard Ben Bredeson on a one-year contract.
The pair of signings come after Tampa Bay guard Aaron Stinnie chose to move on to the Giants. That essentially creates a swap of Bredeson and Stinnie between the two teams.
Opeta spent his first five years in the NFL with the Eagles after going undrafted in 2019. He impressed after recording 39 bench-press reps of 225 pounds at the combine, the most among draft-eligible offensive linemen that year. Most of his rookie season was on the practice squad developing but he did get promoted to the active roster in December.
The following year, Opeta made his first two career starts and began to pave the way to become a member of the rotation with the Eagles. From 2020-23, he appeared in 38 games, with ten starts, while also making two appearances in postseason games for the franchise. That was capped off by a career-best six starts in 2023 as Opeta earned 530 offensive snaps - more playing time than the previous three years combined.
Opeta will turn 28 years old prior to the 2024 season but there's still some potential for the Buccaneers to uncover. He's only been playing on the offensive line since college after converting from the defensive side of the ball two years into his time at Weber State. The move paid off as Opeta was named a back-to-back First-Team All-Big Sky selection while playing for the Wildcats. He was a consensus All-American during his final season with the program.
The expectation is that Opeta and Bredeson will compete for the starting job at left guard opened by Stinnie's departure. Veteran guard Matt Feiler remains unsigned and it isn't clear if the Buccaneers plan to retain him under the command of new offensive line coach Kevin Carberry.
The rest of the interior is fairly secure with veteran center Robert Hainsey and second-year right guard Cody Mauch in the fold. Bredeson has the versatility to contribute at multiple positions across the line if injuries pile up at some point in 2024.
At tackle, Luke Goedeke's conversion was successful on the right side of the line. On the other side, the Buccaneers are working on an extension for All-Pro Tristan Wirfs. This is looking like a promising group and that's before the addition of a possible draft pick in April.
Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2024 offseason.
