Could the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Be Down Their Right Tackle on Sunday?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers resumed practice on Wednesday in preparation for their Week 11 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers with a key component of their offense missing. Right tackle Luke Goedeke was absent from practice dealing with a foot injury. When asked about his absence Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said he was dealing with a foot injury.

Goedeke tweaked his foot in the Buccaneers' matchup against the Houston Texans and played the rest of the game through the injury. He was then limited in practice all last week prior to the team’s tilt versus the Tennessee Titans. The second-year tackle ended up playing the full game with the injury in their 20-6 victory.

While he missed Wednesday’s practice, I’m told it was more precautionary and a day of rest and that he should be ready to go against the 49ers on Sunday.

After a rough start to his NFL career as a rookie, Goedeke has been a bright spot for the Buccaneers offense. After making the switch from left guard back to his more natural position at right tackle, he has quietly been one of the best tackles in the league.

He has an overall blocking grade of 76.7 which ranks him as the 16th best tackle in the league with 200 snaps or more, per Pro Football Focus. Goedeke has been impressive in his pass blocking, generating a 73.9 grade. He’s only allowed three sacks and three quarterback hits, and two of those sacks were quarterback Baker Mayfield basically sacking himself. Where Goedeke has surprisingly excelled is in his run blocking. PFF has him with an 80.2 grade which puts him as the eight best tackle in run blocking situations. Left tackle Tristan Wirfs ranks out at 30th with a 68.7 grade.

Gedeke had been a true bright spot for the Bucs and an exciting story as he’s turned around the trajectory of his NFL career from his rookie season struggles. He’s put to bed a lot of the naysayers and the short-arms arguments with his stellar play and has been an integral part of the Buccaneers' success this season. He’ll have his hands full on Sunday with the 49ers arsenal of pass rushers but if he’s proven anything this year it's that he’s up for the test.