Bucs undrafted free agent offensive tackle Ben Chukwuma has not played much football. The Nigerian native had less than two years at left tackle at Georgia State after not playing any high school football. And yet, the rookie was stellar against legitimate NFL rushers in his third preseason game, a 23-19 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Facing A.J. Epenesa and Landon Jackson, Chukwuma allowed zero pressures on 25 opportunities.

Bucs Found A Legitimate Developmental Tackle

As the saying goes, "Left tackles don't grow on trees."

Therefore, it makes sense as a strategy for teams to consistently throw darts at the premium position. Using a Day 3 pick, signing an undrafted free agent or finding a player via the International Pathways program every year can pay huge dividends even if the hit rate is low.

The Bucs have taken a couple dart throws at tackle over Jason Licht's tenure. In 2014 he selected Kevin Pamphile in the fifth round. Two years later he took Caleb Benenoch in the same round. Recently they have taken stabs at undrafted free agents and International Pathway program players like Luke Haggard, Silas Dsanzi and Lorenz Metz. But they have not been able to develop any of those dart throws into a serviceable backup tackle.

The returns are very early, but that may have changed with Ben Chukwuma.

Bucs LT Ben Chukwuma – Photo by: USA Today

Chukwuma has been a revelation in the preseason. For all of the promise he showed in college, especially his performance against edge rusher Mike Green and Marshall, I don't think anyone – the Bucs included – could have expected what he did in his three games against the Titans, Steelers and Bills.

His tape in the third preseason game against Buffalo is phenomenal. I can't oversell it. Especially because he was facing legitimate pass rushers. A.J. Epenesa is a former second-round pick with over 2,000 snaps. Michael Hoecht was a free agent in the mold of Anthony Nelson. And Landon Jackson is a third-round pick with an extremely impressive physical profile.

It didn't matter. He had both pass rushers in jail.

Where I thought his footwork in college was choppier, it has become smooth and effortless with the help of Bucs offensive line guru Kevin Carberry. Chukwuma is independently using his hands, and when he latches onto a defender he refuses to let go. His strike placement was consistently in the right place, and he delivered a wallop in his punches. His pass sets were quick and balanced. He prevented Epenesa and Jackson from getting around the arc.

And when his opponent tried to throw ghosts and jumps, he wasn't fooled and typically just pushed them out of the play.

CHUKS!!! pic.twitter.com/t8NDiaNvWf

— Joshua Queipo (@josh_queipo) August 28, 2025

In the run game Chukwuma showed off his athleticism getting out in front of three-techniques and twisting back to wall off on reach blocks running backside of mid zone. Add in his impressive strength as he nearly torqued Hoecht into the ground. Later he successfully did the same to Jackson. On doubles he delivered real pop.

My favorite part of watching Chukwuma's tape was his controlled aggression. He wasn't afraid to take the fight to a rusher and knock them off their rush path. And you can tell he loves the idea of burying guys. Notably, in this game he also played right tackle for the first time in live action, portending to him eventually working as a swing tackle.

"It's amazing being in the trenches," Chukwuma said. "Putting your face in someone and trying to drive them down the field is amazing. Doing things like that just fires me up because I love competition, I just want to show you that I'm stronger than you, that I can move you."

Bucs LT Ben Chukwuma – Photo courtesy of Georgia State

Short-Term Possibilities

There is still more for Ben Chukwuma to work on. In training camp practices that I observed he still looked to be figuring out how to pass off stunts/twists/games. But against the Bills he showed active eyes and head movements as he was searching for attackers from multiple paths. There seemed to be a concerted effort from him to make sure he wasn't surprised by an odd rusher.

The Bucs seem set to start Charlie Heck at left tackle until Tristan Wirfs returns from his knee surgery. Heck has experience and has shown he can be capable in the role he's being asked to fill. But in my measure, Chukwuma has a much higher ceiling.

His athleticism and movement skills are top notch. I don't care what his testing says. And the learning curve he has shown in one summer is excellent. The sky may be the limit with Chukwuma, in the same vein as – dare I say Demar Dotson, who was a 10-year starter in Tampa Bay as an undrafted free agent – or even Eagles Pro Bowl left tackle Jordan Mailata? With that kind of trajectory, the Bucs may see Chukwuma as OT3 sooner rather than later.

Bucs O-linemen Demar Dotson and Ali Marpet – Photo by: Mark Lomoglio/PR

And if Heck struggles out of the gate and Wirfs needs a few weeks to get fully healed and ramped up, could the Bucs turn to Chukwuma? I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility.

Long-Term Outlook For Ben Chukwuma

Now some projection is required for this next part. On his current path the Bucs may have their swing tackle through 2027 on a cheap contract with an option for 2029 when Ben Chukwuma would be a restricted free agent.

Bucs OT Ben Chukwuma – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

But what if the Demar Dotson-Jordan Mailata path is fulfilled? Luke Goedeke is entering the final of his contract. Despite a well-defined market there has been nothing forthcoming from the Advent Health Training Center about an extension with Week 1 of the regular season less than two weeks away.

If the Bucs feel good about Chukwuma as Goedeke's successor it opens up a ton of cap space to hold onto other rising stars such as Cody Mauch, Graham Barton, Calijah Kancey and Zyon McCollum. These are champagne problems all predicated on an admittedly low probability outcome. But based on his preseason work, it's a possibility that can be entertained.