Buccaneers hopeful to have offensive starter back before end of season

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have dealt with a significant number of injuries, and one of the most important ones has come at right tackle. RT Luke Goedeke re-aggravated a foot injury against the Houston Texans and was placed on injured reserve after Week 2 — but when will he be back?

One major NFL pundit doesn't seem to think he'll be back at all. ESPN insider Adam Schefter recently shot an episode of his podcast, aptly named the Adam Schefter Podcast, and he said something interesting while talking about how well Baker Mayfield has played this season.

"They've lost two offensive linemen to season ending injuries," Schefter said.

That would be an alarming update for Goedeke. Right guard Cody Mauch is indeed out for the year with a knee injury, but when Goedeke was placed on IR for a foot injury he re-aggravated against the Houston Texans, it was assumed that he would return after his four-week window was up. Now, though, it seems murky at best — and disastrous at worst.

Is Schefter correct in that Goedeke will be out for the year? Or can the Buccaneers expect him back at some point?

When will Luke Goedeke return?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive tackle Luke Goedeke (67) at the line of scrimmage against the Pittsburgh Steelers. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Despite that insinuation, though, it seems as if Goedeke's injury isn't as serious as that. FOX Sports' Greg Auman reported on Thursday that Goedeke is expected to come back to the team and play football at some point during the season, which was originally expected of him once he went on IR with an ankle injury.

Bucs aren’t setting a specific timetable for tackle Luke Goedeke’s return from his foot injury, but the team is hopeful he’ll play again this season. Injury shouldn’t be seen as season-ending right now.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) October 9, 2025

This would be very good news, if only because Goedeke's replacement, Charlie Heck, has struggled. Heck is currently 69th out of 74 tackles with at least 50 snaps in PFF's grading system, and he's also ranked 73 out of 74 qualifying tackles in pressures given up (22). Per PFF, Heck has given up 22 pressures on 173 snaps, an astonishing 12.71% of his snaps.

Adding Goedeke back would be huge for quarterback Baker Mayfield, and it would alleviate the pressure on Luke Haggard, who is stepping in for Mauch on the offensive line. Goedeke's mandatory IR window ends in Week 7 when the Buccaneers face the Detroit Lions, but it's now looking as if Goedeke may not come back at that point and could be on IR for longer.

The Buccaneers will face the San Francisco 49ers at 4:25 on Sunday.

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