This position group earned massive praise from Bucs HC Todd Bowles

Todd Bowles was proud of his Tampa Bay Buccaneers after beating the Atlanta Falcons, but had particularly strong feelings about a specific position group.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles prior to the game against the Buffalo Bills. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 1-0 after beating the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1 by a 23-20 score inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The Bucs are dealing with a lot of change across the roster, especially on the offensive line. However, it didn't hinder them against the Falcons, leading head coach Todd Bowles to praise the trenches after the game. The Buccaneers switched up their offensive line and moved quite a few players out of position, and it ended up going well for the

"I thought Graham [Barton], for the first time at tackle, played very well," Bowles said.

"I thought [Ben] Bredesen did a very good job at center, especially controlling where the blitzes go and the pickups and everything like that. Michael Jordan played well at guard, as well. So, they played tough and they battled. You know, for those guys moving around, playing their first game at different positions, I thought they did a good job. Going forward, we'll see."

READ MORE: Jon Gruden had awesome reaction to Bucs beating Falcons that fans will love

Tampa Bay Buccaneers center Graham Barton exits the field after defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Bucs O-Line strong without Tristan Wirfs

The Bucs were concerned on the offensive line with All-Pro Tristan Wirfs expected to sit out for a few games. This led to the team moving Graham Barton to tackle from center and inserting Ben Bredeson into the anchor of the offensive line.

Bowles explained how the Bucs came to that conclusion with this specific offensive line rotation.

"Well, when we gave [Graham Barton] a couple reps out there [at tackle], at first it was we were doing it out of emergency. [We were] like, 'Hey, he looks pretty good out there.' Then Ben [Bredeson] looked pretty good at center and then we just started messing with it a little bit. The more we saw it, the more it started coming into focus," Bowles said.

"When I first asked [Barton] to do it, I just said in case of emergency, so he took a few reps here and there. Then it got to kind of be kind of an emergency and he started looking better and better and he was firing off the ball in the running game. I was like, 'Hey, we might be more physical with Graham [Barton] at tackle and Ben [Bredeson] at center and with [Michael] Jordan at guard because he had a good preseason. Nobody really wanted to say it, but it was like, 'Hey, we probably need to do this.' Then it kind of came into fruition."

While the Bucs had a lot of moving parts on the offensive line, they were able to keep Baker Mayfield well protected. He was only sacked once against the Falcons for an eight-yard loss.

Tampa Bay also ran for 101 yards on the ground, so the offensive line should be happy about that aspect as well.

In order for things to continue to improve, the Bucs have to continue adapting to their new surroundings and a tougher Houston Texans front seven ready to attack them in Week 2.

READ MORE: Former Buccaneers All-Pro explains why Bucs are biggest threat to Eagles

Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2025 season.

Follow BucsGameday on Twitter and Facebook

More Tampa Bay Buccaneers News

• Will Vita Vea play in Week 1's Buccaneers-Falcons matchup?

• Buccaneers make announcement including Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans

• The Buccaneers continue to find gems late in the draft and undrafted free agency

• 2025 Tampa Bay Buccaneers award predictions