Buccaneers starter expected to miss significant time following injury vs. Saints

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers face another major injury setback, losing a key offensive lineman. Here's what it means for the offense moving forward.

Sep 22, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin (14) celebrates with guard Ben Bredeson (68) Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Just when you thought the Tampa Bay Buccaneers might be turning things around after getting over their three-game losing streak out of their bye, they put up another stinker against the New Orleans Saints to bring them even with the Carolina Panthers for the NFC South lead.

Making the playoffs will hinge on how the Bucs finish out the regular season, but they will likely have to do so without one of their cornerstones on the offensive line.

During Week 14's loss to the Saints, left guard Ben Bredeson suffered a right knee injury after getting rolled up on and is expected to miss multiple weeks, potentially ending up on injured reserve (IR), which would knock him out for the rest of the regular season.

Bredeson expected to miss significant time

Oct 13, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers guard Ben Bredeson (68) Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The Bucs will be without guard Ben Bredeson on Thursday and likely for multiple weeks due to the knee injury sustained Sunday. Potentially long enough to put him on IR, which would be the rest of the regular season.

— Greg Auman (@gregauman) December 8, 2025

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The injury wasn't pretty for Bredeson, and it will be the second time in 2025 that he will miss time due to injury. He suffered a hamstring strain back in Week 10 against the New England Patriots and missed the subsequent game against the Buffalo Bills.

Once Bredeson went out against the Saints, the Bucs turned to Michael Jordan to help fill the role, which led to Tampa Bay having two backups playing on the left side of the offensive line, with Benjamin Chukwuma filling in for the injured Tristan Wirfs at left tackle.

The Buccaneers' offensive line has been riddled with injuries all season long. They lost Cody Mauch for the season early in the year. Both anchor tackles, Wirfs and Luke Goedeke, have also missed chunks of time, and Bredeson is now down for the count for the second time this season.

The offense as a whole has not yielded the results expected coming into the season, with injuries across the board having an impact, regardless of the poor play calling or Baker Mayfield's subpar play.

The hope is that Wirfs will be back from his oblique injury against the Atlanta Falcons for Thursday Night Football, but if the Bucs are to try and make a run to make the playoffs, they will need backups like Jordan to step up and play at an elite level down the stretch — or they could be in serious trouble.

READ MORE: Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield significantly struggling in crucial area

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