The Bucs were already down left tackle Tristan Wirfs heading into Monday night’s game against the Texans.
As Wirfs continues to work back from his offseason knee surgery and revert to being a player after spending the past couple of months as a coach, Tampa Bay now has another concern up front. Right tackle Luke Goedeke left the game in the second quarter with a foot injury and was immediately ruled out and replaced by backup swing tackle Charlie Heck.
Bucs OL Left Extremely Thin After RT Luke Goedeke Leaves Week 2 Game
Luke Goedeke’s departure from the game leaves the Bucs’ offensive line even thinner. With Charlie Heck filling in, the only other backups that were active for Monday night’s game were undrafted rookie Ben Chukwuma and 2024 sixth-round pick Elijah Klein. While Tampa Bay is high on Chukwuma’s potential and Klein’s versatility, that is not a lot of depth considering the injuries the team has dealt with.
Bucs OT Charlie Heck – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
Goedeke’s status going in was a question mark after he missed two practices during the week. Ultimately, “Luke the Lifter” could not tough it out, and that meant inserting Heck in a spot he did not get as many reps at during the offseason. The team showed a lack of faith in his abilities after moving center Graham Barton to left tackle for Week 1, going as far to elevate Michael Jordan to left guard from the practice squad and bump left guard Ben Bredeson to center.
Now, the Bucs have to trust Barton and Heck to be the bookend tackles against star Texans defensive ends Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter. It will be interesting to see how things go for the rest of the game, and what update head coach Todd Bowles has in his post-game press conference.