New Bucs offensive lineman Charlie Heck.
Former Bucs reserve offensive tackle Justin Skule was on the street for weeks before the Bucs put him on their practice squad in 2022.
The 2019 sixth-round pick of the 49ers looked to be done after tearing his ACL before the 2021 season.
But, as has been common practice, Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht had a sharp eye for O-line potential and made Skule a rehab project, and he delivered well last season at left and right tackle after a brutal first game filling in for Luke Goedeke.
Now Skule is in Minnesota and some Bucs fans are nervous.
Change is always unsettling, but the Bucs did get bigger, more athletic, more experienced and, Joe presumes, more talented at the position by signing free agent Charlie Heck this week.
Heck measured a whisker under 6-8 at the NFL Scouting Combine in 2020, and he was 311 pounds with a 28-inch vertical leap. He was a very big man running a 5.16 40-yard dash.
Drafted by the Texans in Round 4, Heck was well known in Houston for remaking his body. He transformed into a much leaner 308 pounds and was the Texans’ starting right tackle in 2021.
A year later, Heck lost his starting gig under a new coaching staff (Lovie Smith) and then stuck around for another Texans coaching staff in 2023 before playing for the Cardinals and 49ers last season.
Simply put, Heck, 28, has a lot more experience (23 starts) than Skule and seems to be more talented.
Heck is the son of Chiefs offensive line coach and 12-year NFL lineman Andy Heck, so he’s got a pedigree. And Joe wonders what Charlie Heck could achieve in Tampa with what might be the best O-line coaches he’s been around and the best linemen he’s worked alongside.
The Bucs coached up Skule, and they might coach up Heck to his likely untouched ceiling.
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