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Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles looks on before a game against the Carolina Panthers Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

How many offensive linemen do the Buccaneers have left?

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Buccaneers on SI
By River Wells | Last updated Sep 18, 2025 1:55 PM ET

Things have been going from bad to worse to unfathomable for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive line. The Bucs beat the Houston Texans 20-19 in a Monday Night Football thriller, but the following days have brought an unbelievable amount of injury misfortune to Tampa Bay — and that's just in one position group.

Even discounting the fact that defensive tackle Calijah Kancey is now out for the season with a pectoral tear, it's been a nightmare of a few days for the offensive line. Left tackle Tristan Wirfs has been out since the offseason while he recovers from a knee surgery, to the line was already shuffled around, with center Graham Barton playing left tackle, left guard Ben Bredeson moving to center and practice squad guard Michael Jordan coming up to fill in the subsequent hole at left guard.

That has changed very fast in the last three days. Goedeke left the game Monday due to a re-aggravated foot injury, and on Tuesday, it was revealed he's set to miss a few games after an MRI, leaving the right tackle spot open. On Wednesday, guard Cody Mauch wasn't at practice, and it was revealed late that night that he is having surgery on a knee injury he played through against the Texans that will cause him to miss the entire year, leaving right guard open. And then on Thursday, Jordan inexplicitly didn't practice after not appearing on the injury report Monday — if he were to not play Sunday, the Bucs would then be out a left guard as well, and it's someone who was already a backup.

Jordan wasn't on the injury report during Wednesday's walkthrough, so the hope is that whatever has happened isn't serious. But if it is, it certainly begs a pressing question as the Buccaners face the New York Jets in Week 3.

Who is left in the Buccaneers' O-line room?

Excellent question. To answer it, let's get a list of who is currently injured and/or banged up:

Jordan's status is unknown — he was not listed on the injury report on Wednesday, which was simply a walkthrough day — so there is still some hope he's alright before the injury report comes out on Thursday. but if he isn't available, then there are five healthy offensive linemen on Tampa Bay's roster. Bredeson and Barton have been starting out of position, and they are both on Tampa Bay's original starting five.

Not counting them, you have three backups that are healthy on the roster. Swing tackle Charlie Heck, whom the Buccaneers opted to have on the bench with a re-shuffled line instead of starting in lieu of Wirfs at left tackle, came in for Goedeke when he left in Week 2 against the Texans. Behind Heck is tackle Ben Chukwuma, an undrafted free agent out of Georgia State, who the Bucs are high on as a prospect. That being said, Chukwuma started playing football in college as a walk-on, so he's very, very raw. The last healthy lineman on the roster is Eljiah Klein, who the Bucs drafted in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of UTEP.

The practice squad also has a few options. Jordan himself is technically still a practice squad player, getting elevated twice to play in Tampa Bay's first two games, but the Bucs have also had guard Luke Haggard and tackles Lorenz Metz and Tyler McLellan. The team also made another signing in the wake of Mauch's injury on Wednesday, bringing in interior offensive lineman Dan Feeney from the Bills' practice squad.

With all that in mind, the Bucs will hope Jordan is alright. If he is not, there's a good possibility that the Bucs could have two third-string linemen on the line Sunday alongside two out-of-position players. Alternatively, they could move one of their tackles to guard as well if they feel that is a better fit.

The Buccaneers are a better team than the New York Jets, but with such a rough amount of injuries on the line, it's gonna be tough to come out with the W at home.

This article first appeared on Tampa Bay Buccaneers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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