The Tampa Bay Buccaneers know what they have at the top of the offensive tackle room. Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke give them one of the stronger starting tackle pairings in the league.
What’s less settled is everything behind them.
As the preseason nears its end, the Bucs’ tackle depth is drawing more and more scrutiny, with Benjamin Chukwuma and Marshall Foerner both leaving questions behind them. Chukwuma has had rough moments throughout training camp, while Foerner had a particularly rough outing against the Kansas City Chiefs.
That night got worse in a hurry when Foerner gave up a sack to Felix Anudike-Uzomah, and the play led to Jake Browning absorbing a heavy hit. Browning was taken out briefly for evaluation before returning to the game.
Chukwuma’s preseason issues have already put his reliability under the microscope if Tampa Bay needs him in a bigger role because of an injury. The Bucs do have veteran Justin Skule in the group, and he brings a level of trust the younger tackles haven’t yet earned. Skule previously worked as Tampa Bay’s swing tackle and started five games for the Buccaneers in 2024 while filling in because of injury.
Right now, Tampa Bay’s depth chart has Skule behind Wirfs on the left side, with Chukwuma and Foerner behind Goedeke on the right. It’s a mix of experience, upside, and raw tools, but it still hasn’t looked steady enough for a team heading into a 17-game season.
With one preseason game left, there’s still time for that picture to shift. Skule’s track record gives him a clear edge, while Chukwuma and Foerner still have one more chance to prove their recent struggles don’t define what they can offer.
In Other News...
Bucs Rookie LB Is Forcing His Way Into A Bigger Role
Josiah Trotter has spent Buccaneers training camp and the joint work with Jacksonville making the kind of impression that gets coaches attention quickly. The rookie inside linebacker has shown up in all the ways Tampa Bay needs from the position, whether it is stopping the run, getting after the quarterback or holding up in coverage, and he even picked off a Trevor Lawrence pass during practice with the Jaguars.
With injuries thinning the group around him, Trotter appears to be pushing his way toward a starting job next to Alex Anzalone. Todd Bowles has already singled out Trotters instincts and football intelligence, while the rookie has sounded confident he can handle an every-down workload, which leaves the final decision less about whether he belongs and more about how soon the Bucs fully turn the job over. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Preseason Finale Suddenly Carries One Roster Battle That Matters
Training camp is in the books and the Buccaneers now shift from preparation to pruning, with their final preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars arriving as the last chance for players on the bubble to make a case. The bigger deadline comes soon after, with Tampa Bay needing to trim its roster from 90 to 53 by Sunday at 6:00 p.m. ET, so every snap in the finale carries a little more weight than a typical August wrap-up.
At the top of the list is the backup quarterback job, where Jalon Daniels and Drake Browning are still being sorted out. The game against Jacksonville is expected to help settle that decision, and for a team that has already spent weeks evaluating its depth chart, it leaves one of the most important choices hanging over the final exhibition as the Buccaneers head toward roster cuts. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Suddenly Have A Rueben Bain Jr. Concern Before Week 1
Rueben Bain Jr. was supposed to spend August building momentum, not dealing with a setback, but the Buccaneers first-round pick hurt his AC joint during a joint practice with the Jaguars and will miss the rest of the preseason. Before the injury, he had already flashed enough in his lone exhibition game to earn strong marks, which only made the interruption more frustrating for a team that was trying to see its top rookie continue to settle in.
For Tampa Bay, the bigger issue now is less about the preseason and more about keeping Bain on track for Week 1 against the Bengals. The expectation is that he will be available when the games count, but any missed time for a player with this kind of early promise is enough to create a little extra concern heading into the opener. [Read more 🡒]