The countdown to the Bucs’ 2026 season is on. Right now, we’re:

73 days away from Bucs regular season kickoff
43 days away from Bucs preseason kickoff
27 days away from Bucs training camp

In the lead-up to training camp, Pewter Report’s Bailey Adams will be diving into storylines for 26 key figures who will be crucial to the Bucs’ success in 2026.

Today, the series continues with left guard Ben Bredeson.

26 For ‘26: Ben Bredeson Bucs Storylines In 2026

Is Ben Bredeson Playing For His Bucs Future In 2026?

Bredeson’s journey to becoming the Bucs’ starting left guard was a pretty unique one. He spent 10 games (no starts) with the Ravens as a fourth-round draft pick in 2020, then the team traded him to the Giants in August of the very next year. The 6-foot-5, 315-pound interior lineman then played eight games with one start for New York in 2021, 11 with eight starts in 2022 and then made 16 starts for the Giants in 2023. From there, he signed a one-year deal with Tampa Bay.

Originally, the plan was for Bredeson to compete with fellow veteran Sua Opeta, another free agent signing, for the left guard job after the Bucs struggled to find a steady answer at the position throughout 2023. But Opeta tore his ACL during the first week of training camp and just like that, Bredeson was thrust into the role. From there, he started all 17 games for the Bucs in 2024 and then signed a three-year deal to remain with the team in the following offseason.

Bucs LG Ben Bredeson and LT Tristan Wirfs – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

It’s that three-year contract that comes into focus in a big way this season. It’s a reasonable deal by any measure, so this could be a complete non-factor as the Bucs are happy with their left guard and would hardly seem to be in any hurry to replace him. However, it’s worth noting that the team does have a potential out after this season with a dead cap hit of $3,798,000. So, should Bredeson have an injury-riddled season or falter in some way, it could trigger Tampa Bay to explore that out and go in a new direction in 2027.

Conversely, what if Bredeson plays at an exceptionally high level and continues to be one half of a reliable duo on the left side of the line with Tristan Wirfs? Would Jason Licht, Mike Greenberg and Co. then explore a potential extension given the fact that Bredeson is only going to be 29 heading into the 2027 season?

More than likely, though, Bredeson stays Bredeson. He’s a serviceable player, one that the Bucs can reasonably rely on to provide adequate play alongside one of the league’s best left tackles. And if he does maintain his level in 2026, it’s hard to imagine the team wanting to do anything at all regarding his contract. He’s currently set to count only $8,266,000 toward the cap next year, and the most realistic plan is to have him play that out.

Bucs LG Ben Bredeson and RG Cody Mauch – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The only complication? It remains to be seen what will happen with right guard Cody Mauch. Will he return from injury in 2026, play at a high level and price himself out of Tampa? Is there a scenario where the Bucs need to save around $4 million in an effort to scrape together enough money to give new contracts to Mauch, Baker Mayfield and Yaya Diaby, costing them Bredeson? It’s all fluid right now, which is the point here. There’s a world where Bredeson is playing for his Bucs future this year, as bizarre as that sounds.

Can Ben Bredeson And The Bucs’ Interior O-Line Trio Stay Healthy In 2026?

The interior of the Bucs’ offensive line was an unmitigated disaster last year, and it was entirely due to injuries. It really fell on the guard position, as Graham Barton started all 17 games for Tampa Bay, first at left tackle out of necessity and then back at his normal center position.

Right guard Cody Mauch suffered a season-ending knee injury in a Week 2 win at Houston, leading to something of a revolving door at his spot. That hurt the Buccaneer offense enough, but an eventual injury to Bredeson only made matters worse.

Bredeson missed Weeks 11 and 12 with a hamstring injury, and while Tampa Bay managed to put up 32 points in a loss at Buffalo without him in Week 11, the team posted just seven points in a loss the next week with fill-in Mike Jordan allowing three pressures and playing to a 36.3 offensive grade from PFF. Bredeson returned the following week and then played in Week 14 as well, but then he suffered a season-ending knee injury of his own, an injury that cost him the last four games of the year.

Bucs LG Ben Bredeson – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

In the end, Bredeson missed five games, playing 12 of the Bucs’ 17 contests. And the offense felt the effects of it, just like the unit felt the effects of Mauch’s injury. The Bucs were 7-4 in games with Bredeson and 1-5 without him, as Scott Reynolds pointed out in this week’s Pewter Report Roundtable.

So, it’s hugely important for both Bredeson and Mauch to be both available and healthy this year to form a strong interior along with Barton. The Buccaneer run game depends on it, as does quarterback Baker Mayfield. The offensive line as a whole is the strength of this team when it’s healthy, and the health of the unit may be the biggest key to success for Tampa Bay in 2026.

How Much Will Ben Bredeson’s Versatility Come Into Play This Season?

During the last two years Bredeson spent with the Giants before coming to Tampa Bay in 2024, he split his snaps at a few different positions along the offensive line. Granted, he only played eight snaps at right guard in 2022 as opposed to 30 at center and 581 at left guard. But that was still a testament to the versatility he has along the interior of the offensive line. He stepped that up in 2023, his final year with New York, by playing 189 snaps at left guard, 346 at center and 479 at right guard.

When Bredeson signed a one-year deal with the Bucs in 2024, the idea was for him to do battle with another free agent signing, Sua Opeta, for the starting left guard job. But at the same time, the veteran who had previously spent one year in Baltimore and three in New York was lauded for his versatility. Despite the fact that Tampa Bay had Robert Hainsey at the time to back up then-rookie center Graham Barton, there was also talk of Bredeson’s ability to play center in a pinch.

Bucs C Ben Bredeson – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

But that year, there was no need. Unfortunately for Opeta, his season was over before it began and Bredeson became the team’s left guard. He would go on to play 1,172 of his snaps that season at left guard, with his only other snap coming as an inline tight end. In 2025, though, Bredeson’s versatility proved to be a massive help to the Buccaneer offensive line, one that was ravaged by injuries early and often.

After re-signing on a three-year deal with the team, Bredeson’s next regular season snap didn’t even come at the position he spent 1,172 snaps playing the year before. Rather, he kicked inside to play center to start the season due to left tackle Tristan Wirfs recovering from offseason knee surgery and missing the start of the season. With Wirfs out, the Bucs made the surprising decision to move Barton from center to left tackle and move Bredeson inside to fill in for Barton at center. By year’s end, Bredeson had played 412 snaps at left guard to 210 at center.

So, how much might Bredeson’s versatility help Tampa Bay in 2026? The hope, of course, is that the Bucs won’t need it for anything more than a safety net. The best version of the team’s offensive line features Wirfs at left tackle, Bredeson at left guard, Barton at center, Cody Mauch at right guard and Luke Goedeke at right tackle. The plan is obviously to have a much healthier year this year along the O-line, which would mean Bredeson playing all (or at least most) of his snaps at left guard. But at least the team knows he can play all three interior positions whenever needed.

Catch Up On Previous Installments Of Bailey Adams’ 26 For ’26 Series

Baker Mayfield
Bucky Irving
Kenny Gainwell
Chris Godwin Jr.
Emeka Egbuka
Jalen McMillan
Cade Otton
Tristan Wirfs