Graham Barton has not had it easy to start his pro career. He was launched into the starting lineup as a rookie at a position he hadn’t played in three years. Asked to learn center at the highest level, complete with all of the line checks and the mental side of the position he was also transitioning from blocking long and lean athletes in space to fighting in a phone booth against powerful bullies on the interior.

His rookie season had ups and downs. He was called for 12 penalties – the most among all centers in the NFL. But his pass block efficiency rating, as measured by Pro Football Focus, was tied for 12th best among 28 qualifying centers. Offensive linemen don’t have many statistical markers to measure their performance, so for lack of other markers, I’ll cite PFF’s grading system.

He earned a 64.0 pass block grade – 14th among qualifying centers. His 54.6 run block grade was 26th overall.

Those measurements paint the picture of a player who was below-average to average, but there was certainly an uptick in his play throughout the season.

Graham Barton’s rolling 4-game pressure rate allowed from his rookie season. pic.twitter.com/Bbmahy7KGO

— Josh Queipo (@JoshQueipo_NFL) December 16, 2025

Barton also ran the pivot for one of the best run games in the NFL. While his personal run blocking grade didn’t look so hot, there were plenty of highlight reel blocks that helped spring big runs. NFL analyst Ollie Connolly described the Bucs as the best offensive line in the league at the end of last year and Barton was 20% of that lineup.

There were high hopes for his second season after having over a year working at his new position. But that hasn’t exactly transpired.

Graham Barton’s Unusual Start to 2025

Focusing on center, a position that doesn’t have many premier players at the moment, was surely the key for Graham Barton to take a big leap in year two. So, when he had to detour back to left tackle, where he played in college at Duke, for the first three games of the season was surely a huge detriment to his progress and development.

The mere fact that Barton was a viable option to play tackle is a testament to his impressive athleticism. The best athletes along the offensive line are usually tackles. Barton had the speed and strength to hold up at the edge for the team’s first three games. It wasn’t always pretty, but it got the job done in the short-term.

After seeing several games of Charlie Heck this year, I don’t question that Barton was the right choice for the team to play left tackle when Tristan Wirfs was unable to start the season healthy. But in terms of Barton’s development as a quality center, it was the wrong choice. Once again, re-learn footwork, spatial positioning and a different type of athlete to contend with. Then three weeks later he had to do it all over again.

The impact that detour had on his progress was stark.

Career (Center snaps only). The detour to LT had a profoundly negative impact on his development as a center. pic.twitter.com/JJaC26xJ26

— Josh Queipo (@JoshQueipo_NFL) December 16, 2025

That spike from games 18-21 was Barton’s first four games back at his intended position this year. Clearly, he was re-learning how to operate inside. In pass pro two large-scale issues showed up regularly.

Eye Discipline

The primary issue in pass protection for Barton was his eyes were consistently slow to scan both sides of the line for threats rounding to the interior. And at times they were moving in the wrong direction post-snap. This led to him frequently being too late to pick up those threats before they busted into the pocket and became issues for quarterback Baker Mayfield up the middle.

Bucs WR Sterling Shepard and C Graham Barton – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Protecting His Chest

When he did notice the looper or a stunt that got inside too quickly, Barton would often be too slow to engage, leaving the defender to get control of his frame through his chest. Barton was helpless to anchor and barely able to re-direct. As a center his arm length is in the 57th percentile. But as an interior offensive lineman he is still below average at the 39th percentile, and many defensive tackles are just longer than him.

In order to counter-act the disparity in length it is imperative for Barton to win with speed and hand usage. If he is even a split-second slow, he gives away most of his advantage and all the lower half strength in the world isn’t going to prevent him from getting dented.

Last Six Weeks

There is hope for Graham Barton and the Bucs. Since Week 10, Barton has given up just nine pressures. His 98.1 pass block efficiency is league average, and his 65.1 PFF pass block grade is 14th of 28 qualifying centers in that time frame. His 62.8 run block grade over that time period is also better than his full season grade from last year.

Barton is back to improving. That’s a positive. He’s far from a finished product though. And he has essentially lost a half a season to decision that was in the best interest of the team but not him. The fact that he is playing alongside two practice squad guards in Mike Jordan and Dan Feeney rather than starters Ben Bredeson and Cody Mauch hasn’t helped.

Barton has the anchor to hold up against inside bullies as long as he can be on time off the snap and get his hands involved to keep his chest clean. His footwork is a plus and he’s been a plus in the run game that has improved considerably of late. Since Week 10 the Bucs are one of only eight teams with a positive EPA/rush.

Barton is still an excellent double-and-climb player. Targeting a moving linebacker is one of the hardest skills an offensive lineman can master.

Graham Barton climbing to seal LB’s. pic.twitter.com/CZ6lUnLYmX

— Josh Queipo (@JoshQueipo_NFL) December 16, 2025

He is a weapon in space and paired with other weapons along the offensive line the ceiling is quite high for the offense. Barton has always had the skills to be successful. He is finding more of that success of late. The help to either side of him has been lackluster to say the least and is limiting him.

The Future

It’s fair to wonder whether Graham Barton could be better at guard. He has the size and mass. It’s easier to get guards into space, thus leveraging his best traits. And Ben Bredeson looked really good for stretches at center this year.

Perhaps a swap of the two is in the cards next year. It’s also fair to say that the progress he is making in the back half of this year, paired with more consistent play at the guard spots next year with the return of Cody Mauch, plus the assumed lack of position change like this year, would set him up for the big jump he hasn’t had this year.

Either way, I would bet on 2026 being Barton’s best season yet.