To say the Bucks’ 2024 season has been a roller coaster thus far would be a perfectly fair assessment. And they are just five games into the campaign. So far, only one game seems to have gone “as planned.” Tampa Bay’s Week 1 win over the Washington Commanders didn’t rock the football world.
Since then, the Bucks have experienced highs and lows week after week, enough to warrant an EKG on a tachycardia patient. He had a surprising win against Detroit and then had a solid performance against Denver. Tampa Bay then capped off its current 3-2 schedule with a big win against the Eagles, but fell apart late against the Falcons.
The inconsistent nature of the team’s game-to-game results and the relative shortness of the season thus far have led to a lot of confusion about what’s right and what’s wrong with regard to not only the current team composition, but also the short-term and long-term composition of the team. It can cause you to overreact about what is going on. – Future outlook for each position group. So, with 30% of the regular season remaining, we look at each position group from both a short-term and long-term perspective while the Bucks try to get healthy with a mini-bye after getting emotional. I wanted to see it. thursday night football game.
After watching the Bucks skill Once you have your players on the attacking side, it’s time to look at the grooves on either side of the ball.
offensive line
After the Broncos game, Bucs fans seemed ready to throw the baby out with the bath water when it comes to the team’s offensive line. Backup swing tackle Justin Skule struggled mightily against Aidan Hutchinson in Detroit, and right guard Cody Mauch struggled to match the Broncos’ modest front, one of the best units in the NFL. However, when evaluating the unit as a whole after five games, there are many positive points in terms of growth.
left tackle
Bucs LT Tristan Wirfs – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
Left tackle Tristan Wirfs has improved since his first season on the left side last year. He allowed just 4 pressures in 5 games, with a pressure rate allowed of 3.5%. 2.1%. We’ll never again see a season like Wirfs’ 2022 season, when he allowed just 5 pressures in over 600 pass protection snaps, but that’s as much about Wirfs’ advantage as it is about Tom Brady’s pitching time. was also greatly affected.
And it’s not just pass protection that Wirfs has improved. His run blocking has also improved with the Bucs’ recent changes to the gap scheme. Wirfs will be used more often at the second level in space and is on the decline where his athleticism and strength become a verifiable weapon in the offense.
Wirfs’ contract currently runs until 2029, so the position doesn’t matter much in the short or long term.
left guard
The offensive line is widely considered to be the weak link system. Not having holes is far more important than having one or two superstars. Veteran Ben Bredeson was signed in the offseason in hopes of improving the Bucks’ biggest weakness from last year. So far, the results are somewhat improved. Bredeson is allowing pressures on 4.2% of his pass blocking snaps. Compare this to last year’s Matt Feiler/Aaron Stinney tandem. They were pressured on a combined 6.1% of their pass sets.
Bucks G. Ben Bredeson – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
Bredeson also doesn’t have much upside in the run game, but like Wirfs, his best reps come from gaps where he can drive, double, or pull vertically. Bredeson had the most trouble executing Tampa Bay’s midzone concept. Reach blocks are difficult for him because he can’t fire off lateral snaps well and can’t stay connected with the block through the running back’s cut.
In the short term, the Bucks may be satisfied with Bredeson’s play being decent for the rest of the season. He’s not good or average, but he wasn’t such a disaster that he couldn’t play, and continued changes to his run scheme may help support his play the rest of the season. However, if he slumps, the Bucs could turn to rookie Elijah Klein later in the season. With a bulkier, more cut-off frame, Klein is an ideal fit for gap-based run schemes, has a strong anchor, and will likely hold up better than Bredeson against strong interior bull rushers. You can.
And Klein could be the answer at right guard long-term. His guard tape in the preseason was very good, and both the team and independent evaluators like Brandon Thorne and Duke Manyweather all rate his potential very highly.
Mason McCormick SDSU
Elijah Klein of UTEP
Willis Patrick TCU
Grant Smith South Dakota School of Mines— Duke Manyweather (@BigDuke50) March 31, 2024
center
The amount of hope and hype surrounding Bucks draft pick Graham Burton was higher than any draft pick going back to the 2020 Wharfs. And while Wirfs set an impossibly high bar for his level of play in his rookie year, Barton reached those lofty heights that he did not. But that’s not to say he hasn’t played well overall. Of the 10 rookie linemen who qualified, Burton ranks fifth with a pressure rate allowed of 5.3%.
Bucks C Graham Burton – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
That’s more than Robert Hainsey allowed last year, but Barton offers a higher level of play as a run blocker. And most of Burton’s pass protection troubles have come from properly adjusting his eye position during reps, synchronizing his body movements to the specific movements required of the center, and defending stunts/twists. Masu. And he doesn’t show any particular problems with a single type of pass rusher, be it strength/power, speed/gap shooter, or hand fighter. Hainzoo struggled in 2023, especially in two games against Andrew Billings and Derrick Brown, with the power rusher giving up 40% of his total pressures.
Transitioning from tackle to center in his rookie year will always be a challenge for Barton, but he has played the role so far and has shown improvement in certain areas of his game each week.
Throughout the first three weeks of the season, one of the biggest areas of opportunity for Graham Burton (#62) was understanding when to look for and find stunts/twists. It can’t get any better than this. pic.twitter.com/Cx0XvwqqM5
— Joshua Quaipo (@josh_queipo) September 30, 2024
And like Bredeson and Wirfs, he seems to prefer a gap block system. He displayed incredible athleticism and used it to win some reps cleanly and avoid potential losses.
The Bucks should be happy with the young center’s initial return. Most offensive linemen make the jump to their second and third years in the NFL. Given his early level of play, this would bode well not only for his future, but also for the Bucks’ future at this position in the short and long term. The Bucs will need more experience in the offseason, as backup center Robert Hainsey will likely trade off his two years of experience in the starting lineup next year and try to find a starting job elsewhere. I’ll probably look for a backup.
light guard
Bucs RG Cody Mauch and C Graham Barton – Photo by Cliff Welch P/R
No player on the Bucks’ roster is as polarizing as Cody Mauch right now. But let’s start with this.
Cody Mauch’s rolling 4-game pressure rate allowed. This includes the playoffs (24 games total). Check the right tail.
— Joshua Quaipo (@josh_queipo) October 5, 2024
His losses are the ugliest you’ve ever seen, but they’re becoming less and less. His two biggest problems at the moment are inconsistent hand position and inability to generate power when pumping his chest. First, the improvement is promising, although it is seen in a small sample size at the beginning of the year. The second thing can always be a problem for him. His arm length is not proportional to his frame length, so short defensive tackles who can explode off the snap could continue to be his kryptonite.
What the Bucs seem to understand is that it’s only been 22 months since he played left tackle at North Dakota State, and a learning curve is to be expected. Mauch is making good progress along that learning curve. I do not believe there is any conversation within the Advent Health Training Center about changing this position this year or next.
right tackle
Luke Goedeke looked very good in his only game of the year. However, since being diagnosed with a concussion at the beginning of Week 2, he has not been able to clear protocols to return to the field. But when he returns, he could definitely be considered the core of the Bucks’ offense if he continues to play at the same level he did last year. Given the team’s relative lack of pending free agents in need of big long-term deals this offseason, I suspect the team will consider an early extension for Goedeke as a top priority.
Bucs OT Justin Skule – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
During his absence, Justin Skule provided exactly the level of play the team expected at swing tackle. As mentioned above, the Lions’ game was bad, but Although it’s not as bad as you think. But since then, he no longer feels the pain of handcuffing criminals. The Bucks are averaging 22.5 points per game with him in the lineup. He was the second-best run blocker on the offensive line, according to. pro football focus, And since the Lions game, he has allowed pressure on just 4% of his pass-blocking snaps.
If he’s called up to play more this season, and if his play continues at the current level, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if the Bucks try to re-sign Skule in 2025. Look around the league and see what the state of tackling play is like. now. Next, filter your backup tackle. Once you get past around 50 tackles and you start to realize how steep the drop-off is, you really begin to understand what Skule was able to do against the Bucks. That doesn’t mean the team shouldn’t take a higher development potential player in next year’s draft, expecting fairly reliable play from Skule during that time.
PFF The Bucs are the 10th best pass protecting unit in the NFL and 15th best at run blocking. Tampa Bay ranks seventh in passing percentage and 20th in rushing percentage. When you put these rankings together, you get an image of a unit that ranks 9th to 12th in the league. But here’s the kicker. There is some upside in the form of Mauch and Goedeke’s continued development and Goedeke’s impending return to the lineup. And there’s also security with four of the five starters under contract through at least 2025. The Bucks’ offensive line is in great shape, and it looks like it will continue to be that way for some time to come.
