Throughout four games this season there have been some ups and down for Bucs rookie left guard Luke Goedeke. The team expected there to be hiccups with starting a rookie, especially one who is making the switch from right tackle. But Goedeke has had some rough stretches. He’s credited with allowing 11 pressures, two quarterback hits and a sack to go with three costly penalties, per Pro Football Focus.

The rookie has been more consistent as a run blocker but has struggled there as well posting just a 57.1 grade, per PFF. What is really concerning is his 25.9 pass blocking grade. Though as Bucs assistant head coach Harold Goodwin points out, he’s had some tough matchups to start his career.

Chiefs DT Chris Jones and Bucs LG Luke Goedeke – Photo by: USA Today

“Luke is battling every week,” Goodwin said. “I don’t think Luke has had a week off yet. Every time he’s been lined up, he’s had a decent, Pro-Bowl type player standing over him – from Kenny Clark to last week to Chris Jones. He’s going to get Grady Jarrett this week.”

The team hasn’t lost faith in Goedeke just yet, but if they can upgrade at the position they should look into every opportunity. For the season he has a 43.7 offense grade per PFF, which just isn’t good enough. In what is expected to be Tom Brady’s last year in Tampa Bay and perhaps the NFL, protecting him and setting the team up for success has to be the utmost priority.

Upgrading The Bucs LG Position

Enter Ereck Flowers. Flowers has extensive experience at  left guard, playing every snap last season with the Washington Football Team. He also has experience in a “duo” run blocking scheme similar to what the Bucs run. The veteran guard received a 72 offensive grade from Pro Football Focus, ranking 25th among all guards. However, he ranked 15th amongst guards with 700 or more snaps.

Flowers’ 78.1 pass blocking grade ranked fifth-best of guards with 1,000 plus snaps, and his run-blocking grade, 64.4, put him 35th. However, he did allow six sacks last season and 26 pressures, but only had two penalties in 2021. Much of that can be attributed to the carousel of quarterback play in Washington. With Brady’s quick release and pocket presence those numbers could drop significantly.

Along with the question to why he still remains available, there is the also the matter of compensation. Flowers, 28, earned $10 million last year. With the season underway he shouldn’t expect him to command that figure, but the Bucs would still need to find a way to open up the cap room to afford him. As of now they sit with just $3.6 million in cap room. The front office would need to be creative with how they structured the deal, but Flowers would provide an immediate boost to the Bucs offensive line.

Another option would be looking at the existing roster and perhaps giving Brandon Walton an opportunity to start at left guard. Walton got his first real NFL action at left tackle and played decent against New Orleans and Green Bay. And Walton is considered to be a better guard than tackle by the Bucs coaches and scouts.