PFF ranked the Buccaneers' offensive line third in the NFL following Week 1, trailing only the Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles. Tampa Bay moved into the top three after its season-opening performance against the Cincinnati Bengals. The starting five listed by PFF consists of Tristan Wirfs at left tackle, Ben Bredeson at left guard, Graham Barton at center, Cody Mauch at right guard, and Luke Goedeke at right tackle. It is a group Tampa Bay has built largely through the draft, with Wirfs, Barton, Mauch, and Goedeke all being homegrown pieces.
While the Bucs ultimately fell 33 to 27 against Cincinnati, the offensive line had a solid afternoon in pass protection. According to PFF, Bredeson was the only member of Tampa Bay's starting offensive line to finish
with a pass blocking grade below 60.0. The biggest performance came from Barton, who did not allow a single pressure. PFF also noted that the third-year center appears to have taken another step forward. That development could be significant for an offensive line that already has one of the league's best tackles in Wirfs. Barton was drafted in the first round in 2024 with the expectation that he could become a long-term answer in the middle, and his performance in the opener was an encouraging start to his third season. Goedeke also held up well on the opposite side, allowing two pressures but neither a sack nor a quarterback hit across 57 offensive snaps.
There is still room for improvement. Tampa Bay's offense had stretches where it struggled to consistently move the ball against Cincinnati, and Bredeson had a difficult afternoon in pass protection. But PFF's ranking shows how highly the unit's overall talent is regarded. The Buccaneers now enter Week 2 with an opportunity to build on that performance against Cleveland. PFF noted that the Browns struggled to generate pressure against Jacksonville in their opener, making it a more favorable matchup on paper for Tampa Bay's offensive line. After one week, PFF believes Tampa Bay has something even better than that, ranking the Bucs' starting five as the third-best offensive line in football.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: PFF ranks Bucs offensive line among NFL’s top three
