There has been plenty of discussion about the state of the Bucs' offensive line heading into Sunday. With what has unfolded, that is more than warranted. Still, there is no changing the fact that the group is facing numerous injuries and must be ready to line up against the Jets.

What makes offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard's life easier is knowing that he can count on run game coordinator/offensive line coach Kevin Carberry and offensive line coach Brian Picucci to get the backups up to speed for a live game setting. Grizzard took time on Thursday afternoon to talk about how integral the coaching staff is in developing practice squad and depth linemen into capable players.

Josh Grizzard Appreciates How "Open-Minded" Bucs Offensive Line Coaches Are

Kevin Carberry and Brian Picucci were thought of highly enough that former Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen requested to interview them after taking the Jaguars head coaching job. Understandably, Tampa Bay declined to let Coen pry either of them away, and it is a move that looks even wiser in retrospect.

Bucs OL coach Kevin Carberry, QB Baker Mayfield and OC Josh Grizzard – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

To start the regular season, the coaching staff first had to adjust to life without left tackle Tristan Wirfs. It was a last-second call from the outside looking in to shuffle Graham Barton and Ben Bredeson around and elevate Michael Jordan, but it paid off as they held up enough in Week 1 and improved in Week 2 to help spark the run game. Bucky Irving and Rachaad White combined for 27 carries, 136 rushing yards, and a touchdown, looking more like the successful 1-2 punch that was key to the offense's success last season.

That has been made possible in part to the work of Carberry and Picucci.

Bucs WR Emeka Egbuka and LG Michael Jordan – Photo by: USA Today

"They've done an unbelievable job," Grizzard said. "We've gone against two really good fronts the first two weeks, and whether it's from the scheme or the adjustments that we need to make with the line, or the scheme in-game to put our guys in the best position possible to make plays and get a hat on a hat and be the most physical unit – which I think we've done – is great to see. Those guys are not stuck in their ways on how we've done things and [are] open-minded on different options for us just to give our guys the best chance to go out there and win. Hats off to those guys."

The latest curveball thrown the unit's way is being without right guard Cody Mauch for the rest of the season and right tackle Luke Goedeke for the next four games, at least. Not to mention, Jordan is also dealing with a sore knee. That only makes the coaching staff's work more critical in taking practice squad players and new additions and getting them ready, no matter who it might be.

"Yeah, it's actually going on right now – what they do after practice or during the last periods of practice where we can get those guys developmental reps on the scheme for not only this week, but just the core fundamentals and techniques that we try to use day in and day out," Grizzard said. "That really started back in the spring.

"We always look at it like the mentality of those guys never know when they're going to have to play, so if they get the work in and the extra meeting time and get the practice reps on the field and get the extra 'indy' (individual period) time, they're just in a better position if and when they need to get out there."

The Latest Test? Facing Jets' Defensive Front Led By Quinnen Williams

The Jets' defensive front will the latest test for the Bucs' offensive line. Tampa Bay knows it will get a heavy dose of three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, who is one of the premier players at his position at his best. It's a unit that can get after the quarterback, with defensive end Will McDonald IV recording two sacks across two games after having 10.5 sacks in 2024.

Bucs OC Josh Grizzard and HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

"It feels like it's every week in the NFL, but you're going against really good D-lines," Josh Grizzard said. "It started in Atlanta, clearly that unit last week was fantastic, and then starting with Quinnen [Williams], but they've got guys at every level, especially with the edge rushers. [Will] McDonald is a really good player. They run to the football – you can tell they preach that in practice, and you can see it show up on tape. And then really with Sauce [Gardner] as well, he's a really good cover guy. But it's every week in the NFL with these D-linemen and D-ends."

No one expected the offense to be standing where it is now with over half of the offensive line out by Week 3, and with two (and maybe three) of the team's top wide receivers also not playing.

That is just how it goes in the NFL.

After quarterback Baker Mayfield reiterated earlier this week that injuries do not affect the standard, Grizzard added that the offense will continue to chug along and do what it takes to win games.

"It's really a week-to-week thing in terms of what we want to get to that week," Grizzard said about advancing the offense. "I'd say when you start camp, it's really, okay, here's the base stuff – day one install, day two, day three. But each week is so unique in terms of what kind of runs, what kind of play-actions, what kind of protections or passes we have, where we just use what we think is going to win the game that week."