Bucs pull out suprise offensive line combination in Week 1

TAMPA, Fla. - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are now 1-0 in 2025. 

"They fought hard," Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said. "Our job was to fight in the second half any way we can, and we won."

The team literally did everything they could to win and even kept something very close to the vest. 

What they're saying:

"You guys didn't know that," Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield said. "Jokes on you. That's good stuff."

The Bucs completely revamped their offensive line, and only announced it right before kickoff.

"We knew you guys would have sent that stuff out and the Falcons would have been game planning," Bucs right tackle Luke Goedeke said. "That's why we kept it a trade secret."

The secret shuffle of the offensive line was certainly a surprise. With Tristan Wirfs out for all of camp, Charlie Heck was the starter at left tackle for all three preseason games. 

However, the Bucs decided their best route was to put the best offensive lineman on the field and had been practicing that way for weeks now. 

Dig deeper:

The team moved center Graham Barton to left tackle. Ben Bredeson switched from left guard to center and Michael Jordan is now mixed in at guard. It's a combination the Bucs are certainly proud of.

"We just started messing with it a little bit," Bowles said. "The more we saw it, the more it started coming into focus."

But, it wasn't even the original plan.

"It started out as an emergency, but it started looking better and better and then it just [was] like we probably need to roll with this," Bowles said. "It gives us our best chance to win."

While the team believes it gives them the best chance to win, that doesn't mean it has been easy for the big uglies. While Barton did play tackle in college at Duke, he's been accustomed to playing center since joining the NFL. 

"It's definitely an adjustment," Barton said. "I got a couple of practices at it, so I got a little bit of comfortability with it, but I definitely look forward to watching this tape and looking to improve going into Week 2."

The offensive linemen feel they will keep seeing that improvement as they continue to get more reps.

"It's a testament to our locker room and the room we have and the chemistry we have as a group," Barton said. "We're going to do whatever is asked of us. We are going to do whatever we can to get a win."

They hope to keep it rolling again next week.

"I thought the O-line played unbelievable," Mayfield said. "Really proud of that group."

What's next:

The Bucs offensive line will play the Houston Texans in the trenches on Monday Night Football in Week 2. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.