Luke Goedeke has had plenty of success since taking over as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' starting right tackle, but the veteran has experienced some difficult moments during this year's joint practices.
Goedeke's first joint practice against the Jets actually featured a strong moment. Jets rookie David Bailey called Goedeke out for a one-on-one rep, and Goedeke won the matchup before the situation escalated into one of several heated exchanges between the teams. Goedeke later explained that Bailey had challenged him and that he wasn't going to back down. However, Jacksonville practices produced a very different result. During Tuesday's first joint practice with the Jaguars, Goedeke was repeatedly matched up against Josh Hines-Allen, one of the NFL's
premier edge rushers. Hines-Allen won decisively in one-on-one work, including one rep where he used his leverage to throw Goedeke to the ground. Goedeke also surrendered another would-be sack during team periods.
That's certainly not what Tampa Bay wanted to see from one of its most important offensive linemen. At the same time, there is an important distinction between struggling against Hines-Allen and suddenly being a problem at right tackle. Hines-Allen is an elite pass rusher who recorded eight sacks and more than 80 pressures last season, and Jaguars head coach Liam Coen specifically viewed the matchup against Goedeke and Tristan Wirfs as a valuable test for his defensive ends. Goedeke has also shown throughout his career that he can handle difficult matchups.
The concern should be less about one bad practice and more about whether these struggles become a pattern. Tampa Bay is counting on its offensive line to be one of the team's biggest strengths, and ESPN ranked the unit 7th in the NFL entering 2026. Goedeke doesn't suddenly become a bad tackle because Hines-Allen got the better of him in practice. In fact, these are exactly the types of reps that can benefit him before the regular season. Facing elite pass rushers like Hines-Allen forces Goedeke to sharpen his technique and gives Tampa Bay a chance to identify what needs correcting.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Should the Buccaneers be concerned about Luke Goedeke?
