Heading into the 2025 season, the Bucs are going to have a distinct benefit that not many teams can boast about from season to season. Following the signings of wide receiver Chris Godwin and left guard Ben Bredeson this offseason, Tampa Bay will have all 11 starters returning on offense this season. That’s almost unprecedented in today’s NFL with all of the roster turnover, contract disputes, trades and free agency availability.
Even when teams add a new player to their organization on either side of the ball, there inevitably is an acclimation period for team chemistry. It goes on every season.
So why is that so important for the Bucs? Well, because they’re not just bringing back the same group, it’s a returning unit that was one of the best in the league. Tampa Bay was third overall in yards per game, passing yards per game and fourth overall in rushing yards per game and total points per game. At worst they were a top four offense that scored consistently.
The only moving piece has been former offensive coordinator Liam Coen taking the head coaching job with the Jaguars. Taking over is Josh Grizzard, who was the passing game coordinator a season ago and was in charge of third downs, so he was in the organization last year and knows all the players.
Backup center Robert Hainsey left in free agency and Swing tackle Justin Skule did depart as well, but the Bucs quickly found his replacement with Charlie Heck. Even Sterling Shepard was re-signed so the Bucs have similar depth heading in to the draft.
If that’s the only speed bumps are replacing Coen having a new backup tackle, the Bucs need to get over, they’re in a great spot.
Bucs Personnel Comment On Important Returns
“It’s very exciting to have everybody back,” general manager Jason Licht said. “That was very important to all of us, to have some continuity, starting with Todd [Bowles] hiring Josh [Grizzard] and us keeping our coaches – the offensive line coaches, everybody, [wide] receivers coach…I could name them all. We’re so lucky to have all of them. We’re very excited about that.”
An added element with having Chris Godwin back is hopefully playing more than seven games this season. Godwin was the driving force of the offense in the passing game before his season ended abruptly.
“I think it helps just in general,” Godwin said about everybody returning. “That familiarity with the people that you’re working with, it makes a huge difference and that’s somebody that … The last couple years we’ve had new coordinators and they’ve changed [so] we’ve had new offenses to learn.
“It’s not an easy thing to do. There’s so many intricate and nuanced pieces of an offense that it really helps that we’re going to have a lot of familiarity with that and not only in the scheme but in the people that we’re working with because they’ve had a year of working with us and understanding how we are, understanding how we communicate, the terminology, understanding how we see the game and the same thing vice versa. I think it’s going to be a big advantage for us – not just me but for us as an offense, so I’m excited about it.”
He also shared his opinion on Grizzard taking over as the play caller.
“Grizz (Josh Grizzard) has been a phenomenal addition to our team,” Godwin said. “I think I realized that very early on – you can see that throughout the OTA process. He’s incredibly smart. I think he’s somebody that I don’t think he has much of an ego about him, and for an intelligent guy like him to not have an ego, that means that he’s open to ideas from other people. This game is largely a collaborative effort. If you can take bits and pieces from the rest of your coaching staff, from players, even from other teams, and apply it in the right way, I think that’s how you create something special.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that he’s going to be incredibly successful because of the way he approaches it. Every time I see ‘Grizz,’ I feel like I’m like, ‘Have you gone home?’ He just loves ball and you can tell that he really, really puts his all into it. So, those are kind of guys that you want to be around; those are the kind of guys you want to work with.”
Bucs’ Offensive Line Deserves Their Credit
It should not go unnoticed that a big reason why the Bucs were so much better on offense was because of the run game. Much praise should go to Bucky Irving, but also filling out the offensive line was very important for the Bucs. Graham Barton was drafted in the first round and became their starting center while Ben Bredeson held it down at left guard and solidified the position.
With Bredeson signing a three-year deal, all of the Bucs’ starters on the offensive line are signed under contract f0r at least two years with the exception of right tackle Luke Goedeke. However, there is a very good chance Goedeke signs a contract extension before the season begins, keeping this unit together for several seasons.
This game is still won in the trenches, so bringing back a group that was a top line in the league can set the Bucs up for a lot of success coming up in this year.
“Personally, it’s something I’ve never experienced – having the entire offensive line return let alone the entire offense return,” Bredeson said. “It’s very exciting. We’re going to have to build this thing back up again – it’s not just going to pick up right where we left off. We have to build this back up through OTA’s and training camp. With that continuity between the running backs, O-line, [wide] receivers, quarterback, we can really make some strides and hopefully streamline that growing process a little bit faster.”
