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Prognosis for injured Bucs starter could be worse than initially revealed

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Craig Smith | Last updated Oct 9, 2025 8:12 PM ET

The injury bug that's been affecting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' roster has taken a particularly big bite out of the team's offensive line and secondary. Regarding the former, The Bucs have lost two starting offensive linemen to injured reserve and saw All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs miss the first three games of the season as he recovered from a knee issue.

One of those two offensive linemen, right tackle Luke Goedeke, was designed to return, unlike right guard Cody Mauch, whose season ended with the move. However, while Goedeke is eligible to return after 4 games - ergo next week against the Detroit Lions - it doesn't sound like the Bucs will have him back any time soon. He aggravated a foot injury in the Bucs' Week 2 win over the Houston Texans.

According to multiple outlets, Bucs RT Luke Goedeke doesn't have a timetable for his return

Per Greg Auman of FOX Sports, the Bucs are "hopeful" of a return before the end of the season, but don't have a timetable.

Bucs aren’t setting a specific timetable for tackle Luke Goedeke’s return from his foot injury, but the team is hopeful he’ll play again this season. Injury shouldn’t be seen as season-ending right now.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) October 9, 2025

However, ESPN NFL Adam Schefter had an interesting comment - or perhaps a slip of the tongue (?) - regarding Goedeke when he was talking about the Bucs' offensive line during his podcast this week. Schefter stated that the Bucs are down two starting offensive linemen for the season.

"Last time I checked, they lost two offensive linemen to season-ending injuries," Schefter said. "No Mike Evans, no Bucky Irving, and Baker Mayfield goes on the road into the twelfth man in Seattle and pulls out another victory where there's a game-winning score in the final minute of the fourth quarter, just like he's done four times in the first five games this season."

By my count, Wirfs, Graham Barton, and Ben Bredeson are still healthy and playing. Mauch is the only returning starter from 2024 who's been ruled out for the season. So, was that just a misspeak by Schefter, or does he - a very well plugged in NFL insider - know something about what's going on with Goedeke that hasn't been slipped out from the team elsewhere?

In any event, it appears you can't count on seeing him on the field any time soon, so the Bucs will continue to have to find ways to win without him. Fortunately, thanks to Mayfield's heroics and Emeka Egbuka's breakout season, they're doing just that.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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