Tampa Bay Buccaneers holding open competition for starting left guard spot
There aren't a lot of question marks on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster heading into the summer. Sure, there is still some uncertainty behind Rob Gronkowski's return and a few veterans on defense to replace, but overall, this team is in a clear position to contend for a championship for the third straight season.
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When it comes down to it, the majority of the Buccaneers' success will be on the shoulders of star quarterback, Tom Brady. That means the team will need to keep him off the turf as much as possible in 2022. Three starters are back on the offensive line (Ryan Jensen, Donovan Smith, Tristan Wirfs) and Tampa Bay made a trade for offensive guard Shaq Mason, who will likely slot in at right guard. That leaves a hole at left guard after Ali Marpet retired a few months ago.
According to offensive line coach Joe Gilbert, the Buccaneers are going to have multiple players competing to replace Marpet. He went further into detail while speaking to the media on Tuesday per Pewter Report.
“I think it’s going to be a lot of fun to watch in camp,” Gilbert said. “What’s better than competition? That’s probably gonna be one of the really fun positions to watch through camp, the development and the competition.”
“That’s the one thing we’ve preached in our room,” Gilbert continued. “It’s open. That spot there, every guy’s got a shot.”
Following the addition of Central Michigan offensive lineman Luke Goedeke in the second round of the NFL Draft, the Buccaneers have five possible contenders for the spot; Goedeke, Aaron Stinnie, Robert Hainsey, Sadarius Hutcherson, and Nick Leverett. Goedeke is the newest member along the offensive line but Gilbert has been impressed early on after working with him over Zoom. They'll work together on the field for the first time at Rookie Mini-Camp this weekend.
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“I’ve had a chance to work with him the last couple of days on Zoom calls and his retention and mental part of it is really good,” Gilbert said. “That, to me, is the hardest thing for a college guy coming out anymore, is how fast can they pick up the system. Because the volume is so much different here at this level than it is in the college level. So far, just from his retention on the Zoom calls, it seems like he’s been pretty good.”
Goedeke, along with Stinnie, might be the early favorites to come away with the starting role. Stinnie re-signed with the Buccaneers in March and has experience playing during significant moments with the team. After all, he started the final three games of the postseason during the super bowl run after Alex Cappa fractured his ankle.
Hainsey, Hutcherson, and Leverett will all have an opportunity to win the job as well. Hutcherson tore his ACL in the preseason opener last year, Hainsey spent 2021 developing as a rookie, while Leverett bounced between the practice squad after appearing in one game.
With a mix of veterans and youth, it will certainly make for an interesting competition and one that should improve the unit as a whole. How the eventual starter fits in and communicates alongside left tackle Donovan Smith and center Ryan Jensen is something Gilbert considers paramount to the process.
“A big part is gonna be who communicates with Donny and Ryan at that left guard spot. That’s going to be a part of our evaluation process,” Gilbert said. “You can’t be a church mouse out there. They’ve got to talk, they’ve got to relay their calls from there and they’ve got their own line of communication. At some point, that’s going to be a big factor as we move forward.”
We will continue to monitor this battle throughout the coming months. Regardless of the outcome, Tampa Bay will find a starter and potentially, a reliable swing guard it can use in the event of injury.
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