On Tuesday morning Bucs head coach Todd Bowles put an end to the center competition and officially named rookie Graham Barton as the team’s starting center this season.

“Barton will start at center,” Bowles said bluntly at his press conference.

Graham Barton Has Quickly Picked Up The Bucs’ Offense

Making the transition from college left tackle to NFL center is far from an easy one, but one that Graham Barton has quickly adjusted to since being drafted out of Duke back in late April. Todd Bowles discussed what he has seen from the Bucs’ first-round pick that allowed him to come to a decision.

Bucs C Graham Barton – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“We knew he was tough,” Bowles said. “Just how fast he picked it up. The experience he has been getting, the way he’s been finishing plays, and [his] pass protection has picked up a lot.”

While it may have seemed obvious to name Barton as the starter earlier, the team wanted to see how he would fare before making the call. This move bumps Robert Hainsey, the starting center for the past two seasons, to being a backup.

It remains to be seen as to whether Hainsey will now compete for the starting left guard spot with veteran Ben Bredeson, but with Barton and Hainsey as the only center options likely to be on the 53-man roster, they may value him most as someone who can mentor the rookie behind him in case something happened.

Going back to Barton, he has performed well throughout training camp and the preseason, and he will officially hold down the pivot spot. After his first NFL game against the Bengals, he discussed his desire to be the lifeline of the offensive line.

“Working on communicating and trying to be that center of communication for our team and for our offensive line,” Barton said.

He will now have the chance to do so.

Now that it has been made officially official, he will be getting more reps with quarterback Baker Mayfield before the team’s final preseason game against the Dolphins on Friday night as the team continues to prepare for their season-opener against the Commanders on September 8th.

After the news came out this morning from the head coach, Mayfield spoke to the media about Barton’s progress since arriving in Tampa Bay.

It was important to make a decision sooner rather than later, as the center-quarterback relationship is critical for an offense to establish. One saw the effect that “Big Red” Ryan Jensen had on the offensive line during his tenure, and having a gritty and productive player to anchor the middle is crucial in establishing an offensive identity.

Bucs RB Bucky Irving and C Graham Barton – Photo by: USA Today

Especially as the Bucs want to continue their success running the football from the preseason to when the games count.

With the Bucs making a $100 million investment in Mayfield in the offseason, the team’s number-one priority was adding reinforcements to protect him up front. With left tackle Tristan Wirfs recently extended on a massive five-year deal and first-round pick Graham Barton now named the starting center, the team has shown they are more than willing to invest premium capital to shore up the trenches.

Graham Barton is “excited for what the future holds,” and both he, the team, and fans have less than a three-week wait to see him as the center of the future when he suits up for the first time in the regular season.