Buccaneers' $90 million tackle avoids major injury in win over Texans

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won't be without tackle Luke Goedeke for the whole year — but they will be without him for a little bit, it seems.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles warms up for a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got some very bad injury news on Tuesday when it was revealed that defensive tackle Calijah Kancey tore his pectoral muscle and will be out for the season. The team was waiting on one more piece of news on tackle Luke Goedeke, and as it turns out, it's a little bittersweet.

Goedeke did not practice for the first two days of Week 2 due to a foot injury, but he practiced on the third day and then played in the game. He left the game after re-aggravating his foot, though, and he was seen on crutches in the locker room after the team defeated the Houston Texans 20-19. As it turns out, Goedeke avoided major injury to his foot, meaning he'll be back for the Bucs — but it's looking like he could end up missing some time in the immediate future, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

Bucs RT Luke Goedeke avoided major injury Monday night but is expected to miss time, possibly multiple weeks, per sources. The belief is that Goedeke re-aggravated a foot injury he battled during the practice week.

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) September 16, 2025

Luke Goedeke's absence will hurt the Buccaneers

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

Any length of absence from Goedeke would not be good for the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay is already missing its left tackle in Tristan Wirfs, who is recovering from an offseason knee injury. Wirfs is expected to come back in Week 5, so the longer Goedeke is out, the worse it will get for Tampa Bay. The Bucs have already massively reshuffled their offensive line, and now, they might have to make some more tough decisions.

With Graham Barton playing left tackle from center, there is one vacancy in the offensive line left by Goedeke's absence. During the Texans game, that role was filled with Charlie Heck, but the team reshuffled the line in the first place before its Week 1 game against the Atlanta Falcons, seemingly in an effort to avoid him playing. As a result, the Buccaneers could also go with UDFA tackle Ben Chukwuma, who they're really high on.

Either way, Tampa Bay's next few games will be a struggle with Goedeke out of the lineup. The Bucs will be fortunate to know he's coming back, but the New York Jets and the Philadelphia Eagles both boast tough defensive lines that might cause the Bucs to start dropping games in the upcoming stretch.

READ MORE: $90 million Buccaneers starter leaves Texans game with injury

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