It has been arguably the worst-kept secret during the Bucs OTAs that right guard Cody Mauch has looked bigger than he did as a rookie. On Tuesday, Mauch spoke to the media and revealed how much weight he has put on, which will only help him play stronger and hold his own against bigger defensive linemen in the trenches.

A full offseason focused on being the best offensive lineman he can be for Tampa Bay already looks to have benefited him as he looks to be a stronger link on the chain to protect quarterback Baker Mayfield next season.

Cody Mauch Reveals That He Has Put On “12 to 15 Pounds”

Bucs RG Cody Mauch, RT Luke Goedeke and Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Cody Mauch has been focused on the biggest things this offseason – literally.

That means not only growing from a physical standpoint but also mentally in grasping the playbook and slowing the game down. That is something that head coach Todd Bowles has enjoyed seeing from the young right guard.

“Obviously the biggest thing for Cody is you look for more strength,” Bowles said. “Coming in out of college last year, he’s worked on that in the offseason, he looks bigger. He’s always been smart, he’s always been tough, and I think the game has slowed down for him quite a bit. We look for him to take the next step mentally.”

Don’t just take Bowles’ word for it, though.

When asked about his goals after last season ended, Mauch shared a similar response while also revealing how much weight he has added.

“One of the biggest things for me this offseason was wanting to get a little bit more strength, put on a little bit more weight,” Mauch said. “It’s been good so far. I’ve been doing a lot better in the weight room. I’ve put on, I don’t know, 12 to 15 pounds. [It] has been a pretty good offseason, and just seeing if we can get that to correlate on the field as well.”

Those 12 to 15 pounds added to Mauch’s 6-6, 303-pound frame puts him around the 315-320-pound mark. It was evident at times last season that he was overpowered, but he has much more of a guard physique heading into this season.

Cody Mauch Is “A Lot More Comfortable” As The Game Is “Slowing Down” For Him

Not only is Cody Mauch considerably larger, but he also feels more confident after getting through a rookie season in which he did not miss a snap.

Bucs RG Cody Mauch – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“I thought every single game got a little bit better,” Mauch added. “A lot more confident in every game, especially towards the end of the season there, right when we all started clicking as an offense and as a team in general. Even now, just these OTAs, the offseason, I think you can notice that too, you feel a lot more comfortable, almost the game is slowing down a little bit I’d say. Still, a lot of work to be done.”

There is a lot of work that remains this offseason, whether that’s OTAs, mandatory minicamp, or training camp that is now less than two months away.

When looking at how Mauch entered this offseason, he was focused on hitting the weight room with two weightlifting aficionados in left tackle Tristan Wirfs and right tackle Luke Goedeke.

Continued weight room sessions will only aid his development into becoming a true mauler in the run game and a stout pass protector. He may also get ever closer to approaching the iron that Wirfs slings around with ease.

“Took a little bit of time off, just let the body recover, I think you absolutely have to do that and then just came back here,” Mauch said of how his offseason started. “Worked in the weight room. Tristan and Luke were in there, so those are great guys to lift with.

“Trying to just keep up with what Tristan’s doing, you’re never going to do it but it’s kind of a good goal to have, just keep up with him. Hanging around those guys, and just really dialing into what they have on the card – workout card – and just doing that to the best of your ability.”