Bucs’ Pass Blocking Crumbled After Luke Goedeke Injury
September 16th, 2025
When right tackle Luke Goedeke went down with a foot injury, the Bucs’ pass blocking quickly deteriorated.
Your eyes were not deceiving you. The Bucs’ pass blocking imploded once right tackle Luke Goedeke left the game.
You may have felt it. You may have noticed it with your eyeballs. You may have believed what Joe Buck was saying.
But NextGen Stats has proof. Baker Mayfield’s time to throw decreased by a third once Goedeke couldn’t go. But that wasn’t the only factor.
Texans edge rusher Danielle Hunter began to figure out Graham Barton. As we all know, Barton moved from center to left tackle to replace Tristan Wirfs.
Barton did well last week against a rookie. Going against a master like Hunter proved to be a hill a little too steep with so little experience at left tackle in the NFL.
(Yes, Joe knows Barton played left tackle at Duke. As Barton himself told Joe, the ACC is a little different animal than the NFL. Owning a child playing for Wake Forest and tangling with Hunter are two very different challenges.)
Hunter seemed to be able to use his speed to bounce right past Barton to get to Mayfield. The Steers dropped Mayfield four times, two by Hunter. Hunter also had a quarterback hit.
Prior to Goedeke leaving, per NextGen Stats, Mayfield averaged 3.31 seconds from snap to getting get rid of the ball. After Goedeke left, that was cut to 2.23 seconds.
Joe has no idea if Goedeke can go in the home opener with the Jets on Sunday. The good news for Joe is the Jets don’t have Will Anderson or Hunter to keep away from Mayfield.
Baker Mayfield's average time to throw changed dramatically after right tackle Luke Goedeke left the game late in the first quarter against the Texans.
Mayfield averaged 3.31 seconds to throw with Goedeke compared to 2.23 seconds without him.#TBvsHOU | #WeAreTheKrewe pic.twitter.com/JFM4XuhJWE
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 16, 2025