Lots of Benjamins coming.
Look, there is no doubt in Joe’s eyes that a key member of the Bucs’ offensive line is going to be quite wealthy at some point between now and next March.
Yes, Mike Evans is in a contract year. That’s a big one. Will he even be playing next year? Who knows. Joe doesn’t even think Evans knows.
The second guy who is in a major contract year is right tackle Luke Goedeke. The Bucs have one of the best offensive lines in the game, and the oldest dude is Ben Bredeson at left guard who is 27. Barring injury, these guys are going to be around a while.
That’s why Joe is confident Goedeke will be a richer young man in the coming months. And so too does Aaron Schatz of ESPN. The founder of Football Outsiders (RIP) and creator of DVOA, Schatz typed an article citing what he thinks each team’s final move before training camp should be.
Joe was surprised when Schatz typed the Bucs ought to get Goedeke wrapped up.
Extend right tackle Luke Goedeke
Tristan Wirfs is the anchor of the Tampa Bay offensive line, but Goedeke has been playing very well recently. Last season, he ranked 27th among qualifying tackles in pass block win rate (89.5%) and was above average in run block win rate (75.3%). Goedeke has one year left on his rookie contract, so it would be good for the Bucs to lock him in long term.
So why does Schatz’s take surprise Joe? Well, first, Joe fully agrees with Schatz here. Suggesting re-signing Goedeke, while correct, is low-hanging fruit. Joe likes Schatz’s insight a lot and maybe Joe was hoping for some other insightful analysis than something you’d hear in a bar.
Joe was thinking maybe Schatz would have suggested the Bucs go out and sign the best inside linebacker free agent who is still walking the streets.
Yes, yes, yes, Joe knows SirVocea Dennis’ shoulder problems are allegedly behind him. Still, it wasn’t just Dennis’ shoulder that sidelined him for 17 games in his two seasons in the NFL. Joe just thinks that’s a major leap in faith thinking Dennis will be on the field for, say, 15 games. Forget 17.
And yes, Joe knows the Bucs signed Anthony Walker. The Dolphins, not exactly possessing a stout defense, let the guy walk (to replace him with K.J. Britt) for a reason.
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