The Buccaneers should feel good about the five offensive linemen they plan to put on the field when the regular season begins. What happens if one of them goes down is becoming a much bigger question. Tampa Bay's offensive line depth struggled throughout the preseason, with Friday's 19-0 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars
providing one final reminder of just how thin things could get behind the starters.The Bucs allowed five sacks while managing only 120 total yards against Jacksonville. Jalon Daniels was sacked three times before Jake Browning took over and was brought down twice. Tampa Bay couldn't get much going on the ground either, finishing with 36 rushing yards outside of Daniels' scrambles, and Todd Bowles acknowledged afterward that what
he saw was concerning. "I like the first five and when everybody's healthy," Bowles said. "I'll look at the tape. If you judge by tonight, yeah, there's concern. I'll look at the totality of the tape and see where it came from." Benjamin Chukwuma has had an uneven preseason at tackle, while Marshall Foerner struggled badly against Kansas City, including allowing a sack that resulted in a major hit on Browning and temporarily forced him from the game. Veteran Justin Skule provides experience and has previously filled in as Tampa Bay's swing tackle, but the Bucs haven't seen anyone consistently emerge as a reliable option behind Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke. The interior is still unsettled. Dan Feeney gives Tampa Bay experience at both guard and center, while rookie Billy Schrauth should have a place on the roster, but there isn't much proven depth beyond them.
The Buccaneers went through nine different starting offensive line combinations down the stretch in 2025 as injuries forced them to dig deep into their reserves. Players who weren't expected to have significant roles suddenly became important pieces of the offense. Tampa Bay's starting five of Wirfs, Ben Bredeson, Graham Barton, Cody Mauch and Goedeke has the potential to be one of the best units in football. The Bucs just can't count on all five making it through an entire season untouched. Bowles doesn't sound ready to make any sweeping judgments based solely on the Jacksonville game, nor should he. But after three preseason games, the Bucs haven't gotten enough from the group behind their starters to feel comfortable. With cuts coming across the league, the waiver wire may give Tampa Bay an opportunity to change that before Week 1.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Todd Bowles admits Buccaneers' offensive line depth is a concern
