Every Wednesday from now through the preseason, we’ll be taking a look at each position group in the NFC South, ranking them from worst to best. Here’s a list of the positions we’ve already covered:
Quarterback
Running back
Wide Receiver
Tight End
Now let’s take a look at a position where the Buccaneers are highly rated: offensive tackle.
Offensive tackle
Buccaneers
Tristan Wirfs
Luke Goedeke
Justin Skull
Brandon Walton
Buccaneers RB Rachad White – Photo courtesy of USA Today
It’s not all that surprising that the Buccaneers lead the NFC South in the tackle rankings, but it may be a bit surprising that the second-place team was so close. The biggest reason the Buccaneers earned the top spot is All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs. After establishing himself as a top-two right tackle in the NFL from 2020-2022, Wirfs made a tough transition to the left side.
And as expected, he continued to dominate. Despite playing very little left tackle in college and not playing any in the first three years of his NFL career, Wirfs frequently appears on evaluator lists as a top two to four left tackle. According to Pro Football Focus, Wirfs ranked tied for sixth in pass-blocking efficiency and fifth in pass-blocking grade last year.
Entering his fifth season, Wirfs is looking to become the NFL’s highest-paid offensive tackle.
Behind Wirfs is the surprising emergence of Luke Goedeke. After being asked to change almost everything in his rookie season, knowing how the offensive line would play, Goedeke returned to his natural position last year and excelled. He himself had a pass-blocking efficiency rating of 96.5 last year and was rated 70 or higher as both a pass blocker and run blocker by PFF. He also joins Wirfs in the mix. A recent list compiled by PFF He is ranked 25th overall out of the NFL’s 32 best offensive tackles for 2024.
While Gaudeke will be looking to build on last year’s strong season, it’s important to note that the sample size of his strong play and concerns about where he stands as a tackle coming out of college will remain for the remainder of his career. For those who expect him to continue to improve, I would caution that the growth won’t be linear and that as more footage of him as a tackle increases, NFL pass rushers may give him more trouble in year two. That said, he is one of the most promising young tackles in the division.
Behind the two starters is former 49ers starter Justin Sukur, who is adept at using his agility and athleticism to maximize his strengths in a mid-zone/wide-zone blocking scheme. Sukur is expected to serve as Goedeke’s primary backup on the right side, while 2020 undrafted free agent Brandon Walton is expected to be Wirfs’ backup on the left side. Walton didn’t play at all in 2023 as Wirfs won the entire game, but was a solid player in 2022 with over 234 snaps as Wirfs was plagued by injuries throughout the season.
Falcons
Jake Matthews
Caleb McGary
Storm Norton
Tyler Vrabel
The Falcons continue their trend of solid roster construction with another position group. Jake Matthews is in his 11th year as the Falcons’ starting left tackle and has had a string of good to great performances. Matthews has posted a PFF blocking grade of 71.0 or higher in each of the past nine seasons, including a pass blocking grade of 80.0 or higher in seven of those seasons. These grades are bolstered by the fact that he has allowed fewer than 30 quarterback pressures in each of the past six seasons and just 34 sacks since 2015. Matthews is the epitome of consistency, which should be a great help for Kirk Cousins as he returns from a torn Achilles this season.
Falcons OT Jake Matthews – Photo Credit: USA Today
Across from Matthews is another equally solid tackle in Caleb McGarry. The Falcons right tackle had a great 2022 season thanks to his strong run blocking. McGarry has never been known as a great pass blocker, but he has worked hard to improve in that area. His pass-blocking efficiency has improved almost linearly over his pro career, and he allowed a career-low 17 pressures in 2023.
Storm Norton re-signed for 2024 after performing admirably in McGarry’s place last season. Norton struggled as the Chargers’ starter in 2021 and is best known for his Week 3 loss to Jacksonville in 2022. He appeared as an injury replacement during the game and allowed eight pressures, five hurries and three quarterback hits on just 25 pass blocks. Still, Norton is a veteran who could provide above-average play as a backup for McGarry, who will be sidelined for most of the year.
Tyler Vrabel is likely to be Atlanta’s backup left tackle. The 2022 undrafted free agent has played just one game in his career, in Week 14 last year, where he didn’t provide any pressure for the Buccaneers.
Panthers
Ikem Ekwonu
Taylor Moton
Yosh Nyman
Ricky Lee
Ikem Ekwonu had a sophomore slump in 2023 after a promising rookie season. His 44 pressures allowed were 12th in the NFL by tackles, and his 11 sacks allowed were third. Ekwonu remained a good run blocker, but Carolina needs him to take a step forward as a pass protector if quarterback Bryce Young wants to develop into a league-average signal caller.
Buccaneers DT Kariya Kansi, Panthers OT Ikem Ekwonu – Photo courtesy of USA Today
Ekwonu’s struggles could translate into a lost season for the entire team in 2023 after losing its head coach last year and struggling with organizational incompetence. One of new head coach Dave Canales’ biggest priorities this year will be getting the 2022 first-round draft pick back on track.
Taylor Moton is a talented veteran tackle who, like Jake Matthews and Caleb McGary, is a big part of the NFC South. The 29-year-old right tackle has been a consistent pass blocker during his seven years in the NFL, but allowed a career-high 41 pressures last year. Moton has been one of the most consistent members of a Carolina offense looking to completely reset in 2024.
Yosh Nyman is a good swing tackle with over 500 starts at right tackle and over 1,000 starts at left tackle. He’s a league-average tackle in a backup role. Having the consistency to come off the bench at any time is a win for any team. Ricky Lee will be entering his second season in the NFL after signing as an undrafted free agent out of North Carolina A&T in 2023. He has yet to log an offensive snap, but he played 24 snaps on special teams last year.
saint
Talise Fuaga
Ryan Ramczyk
Trevor Penning
Landon Young
The Saints led the NFC South offensive tackle rankings for many years, but Terron Armstead is gone and Ryan Ramczyk is a serious contender. Health concerns regarding knees. Deterioration of the cartilage in his knees has put Ramczyk’s career in doubt. If he can play a full season at a level close to his career level, he could be a quality tackle. Despite his worst season in terms of ratings in 2023, Ramczyk still has a 1.2-point average in blocks. 73.5. But few would bet on him being able to continue playing at that level without missing an extended period of time.
Saints OT Talise Fuaga – Photo courtesy of USA Today
The Saints had hoped that 2022 first-round draft pick Trevor Penning would succeed Armstead. That attempt failed, with Penning being benched in Week 7 last year and playing just 13 snaps the rest of the year. New Orleans then spent the 14th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on Oregon State’s Talise Fuaga and plans to ask him to move Wirfs from right tackle to left tackle.
Fuaga is a big man with short arms at 324 pounds, similar to Goedeke with the Buccaneers. He was better as a run blocker than a pass blocker in college, but he flourished on both fronts in his final year with the Beavers.
Penning will be the Saints’ swing tackle, backing up Juaga and Ramczyk. Given Ramczyk’s injury concerns, it’s likely Penning will be on the field. He’s still a good athlete and brings a mean (sometimes too mean) attitude to the position. But unless he improves his aggressive personality and footwork, he could continue to be a liability for New Orleans.
Landon Young was a sixth-round draft pick in 2021 and has provided replacement-level play in 487 career games.
