The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a good second season under the guidance of Baker Mayfield as the former No. 1 pick had career-highs in several categories.
But Baker couldn't do it all himself as the run game with Bucky Irving and Co. ran wild at times in 2024.
However, for Irving to run wild and Mayfield to put up the numbers he did (4,500 pass yards, 41 touchdowns), the offensive line had to do its job, and boy, did they.
Not many are household names aside from Tristan Wirfs, but second-year guard Cody Mauch improved out of sight in 2024. As such, NFL.com has named Cody as the Bucs' unsung hero of the season.
"He went from a near liability as a run and pass blocker to a reason why Baker Mayfield and the offense continued to click," NFL.com writes. "Given that he was playing next to a rookie center in Graham Barton, Mauch's rise is even more impressive. The Bucs offense as a whole improved in 2024 for a variety of reasons -- Bucky Irving's injection, Liam Coen's play-calling, Mayfield's continued improvement -- but the offensive line's bolstered play is up there. No one improved more than Mauch."
Mauch likely isn't known to many, but for Bucs fans, the improvement he showed this season is exactly what they were after.
Posting an overall grade of 75.4 per PFF, Cody only allowed two sacks and, perhaps even more impressive, just two penalties for the entire season.
Now likely a staple of the offensive line for whoever comes in as coordinator, Mauch, after his improved second season, won't be an unsung hero anymore and will look to make an even bigger jump in 2025.
