Buccaneers reinforce offense with veteran addition from San Francisco 49ers

Continuity has been the key for one of the best offenses in the NFL from last season. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have retained basically the entire starting lineup from a unit that averaged 29.5 points per game.

Now, for the first time during the 2025 free agency period, the Buccaneers are making a new addition to their offense.

On Thursday, Tampa Bay came to terms on a one-year deal with former San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Charlie Heck, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. The fifth-year veteran is essentially the Buccaneers' replacement for swing tackle Justin Skule, who recently departed to sign with the Minnesota Vikings.

Heck started two games for the 49ers late last season after San Francisco signed him off of Arizona's practice squad. He graded out with a career-low 41.2 overall PFF grade in seven combined appearances with the 49ers and Cardinals. The Buccaneers will be looking for Heck to bounce back next fall.

OT Charlie Heck signing a one-year deal with the #Bucs, per source. Veteran help across the line.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 14, 2025

Tampa Bay is obviously quite comfortable with its starting offensive tackle duo of Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke. With that being said, both players missed time due to injury in 2024 which makes the addition of a player such as Heck very important. He's essentially an insurance policy for quarterback Baker Mayfield if any injuries pop up during the season.

Heck was originally selected by the Houston Texans in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He spent four seasons with the franchise, making 41 appearances and 21 starts. Heck started a career-high 15 games in 2021, notching a 72.4 pass-blocking grade. The Texans chose to release Heck ahead of last season, setting up his stints with Arizona and San Francisco.

The 28-year-old is the son of Kansas City Chiefs offensive line coach Andy Heck, who has been with the franchise since 2013. The younger Heck had a standout college career at North Carolina where he earned experience playing at both tackle spots.

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