Baker Mayfield isn’t backing away from a big statement about the Buccaneers’ offensive line.
After a season in which Tampa Bay’s front five could never stay together for long, Mayfield said Thursday that when the group is healthy, it belongs among the NFL’s best. His view is rooted in experience: he played behind that full unit in 2024, when the Buccaneers went 10-7 and he turned in the best season of his career.
“I mean, it's a top-three unit in the league. Unfortunately, last year they didn't play one snap together, which stinks for me," Mayfield said.
"For us as a group and for our young guys, it gave them a lot of experience and depth. Like I said, they were thrown into the fire.
"But when all five of those guys are out there rolling, and with some of those guys that got experience last year, it's a very freeing feeling to have those guys out there. They're savages up front.
They're really good. Their chemistry is unbelievable.
They know what we're trying to get done. When they're on the same page, our offense is just clicking.
So, it starts with those guys and goes from there."
The challenge for Tampa Bay last year was simple: the line never got the chance to settle in. Center Graham Barton was the only starter to go all 17 games.
Tristan Wirfs, Luke Goedeke, Ben Bredeson and Cody Mauch all missed time, and Mauch’s knee injury ended his season entirely. Wirfs missed the first three weeks while recovering from knee surgery, then Mauch went down in Week 2.
Goedeke and Bredeson also missed games, forcing the Buccaneers to shuffle pieces around for much of the year.
That’s part of why Mayfield’s confidence carries some weight. In 2024, when the group was intact, the line performed well and helped fuel that 10-7 finish. Mayfield’s point is that the ceiling is still there if the health holds in 2026.
Bredeson sounded just as eager to get the band back together.
"Obviously, we love playing with each other. This is going on year three now of having that group.
Unfortunately, last year, with some poorly timed injuries and injuries altogether, we weren’t able to get the unit out there," Bredeson said. "Being able to come out here and kind of see it all coming back together gets us all excited.
Obviously, we had good success in [20]24 when everyone was healthy and hopefully, we can keep everybody on the field this year.”
There is still one health question hanging over the group. Wirfs is trying to get back onto the field at training camp after a hamstring injury during conditioning tests. The injury is not considered serious, but the rest of the line is already working through offensive coordinator Zac Robinson’s new wide zone scheme as camp moves along.
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