The return of starting right guard Cody Mauch is going to be a big boost for the Bucs offense in 2026. Heading into this fourth season, Mauch had made great strides at guard, playing at a Pro Bowl level towards the latter half of the 2024 season and the beginning of 2025, but unfortunately a torn meniscus suffered in Week 2 kept him out for the rest of the season.

While appearing on Monday’s Pewter Report Podcast, Mauch confirmed to Pewter Report that the rehab on his knee is progressing in a great direction and that he will be ready to participate when OTAs (organized team activities) begin up in May.

Cody Mauch Details His Recovery From Knee Surgery

“Everything went well,” Cody Mauch told Pewter Report. “Rehab was good, it’s just such a slow and boring, monotonous process. Rehab’s not fun. You feel like you’re hardly making progress and then you finally start to. Long story short, everything’s all healed up now, [I’m] excited for offseason stuff to start next week. I should be good for OTAs.

Bucs RG Cody Mauch – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Bucs fans immediately gravitated to Mauch as a fan favorite as he played football without his front two teeth since middle school. He knew he was going to keep playing football and figured he’d get them fixed whenever he was done playing.

Prior to last year Mauch has never missed a football game at any level, so last season was unfortunately new territory for him.

“I’ve never missed a game before due to injury ever – high school, college,  any of them,” Mauch said. “Never missed a game because of an injury. I remember telling Graham [Barton] that, I don’t remember if it was last season, but I kind of told him, I’m like, ‘I’ve never missed a game because of an injury’ and he’s like, ‘Don’t say that!’ And here we are now.”

Cody Mauch Details The Hardships Of Being On The Bucs’ I.R.

Being on injured reserve can be a lonely feeling, and many Bucs knew that all too well last year. Cody Mauch along with tight end Ko Kieft, rookie outside linebacker David Walker and rookie defensive back J.J. Roberts all were out for the season very early on. Others, such as tackles Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke, running back Bucky Irving, wide receiver Chris Godwin Jr. and wide receiver Jalen McMillan all missed long periods of time, too.

“It is just such an isolated feeling because all of a sudden now you’re on a different schedule than everyone else,” Mauch said. “When they’re meeting, you’re doing rehab and stuff and you’re pretty much living in the training room. You’re in there hours and hours a day. I couldn’t even go out and go to practice because I was usually lifting during practice. It’s so isolating and you feel alone and the guys will come in the locker room and be talking about the whatever the newest joke is and you’re just completely out of the loop about what’s going on.

Bucs RG Cody Mauch – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“It’s tough, it really is. It sucks. I’ve never had to deal with it before, but you just feel like you’re going through it alone. All of a sudden you become best friends with the guys who are on I.R. also because you’re spending all this time together, so you’re hanging out with new people and people you normally wouldn’t.”

When Cody Mauch Knew He Was Feeling Good Enough Again

What does it take to understand when a player is really able to return to practice? Cody Mauch took it step by step, as arduous as it was, and overcame some of the mental hurdles that come with the rehab process. It went from thinking he’ll never get healthy again to the satisfaction that he was able to get to where he’s ready to perform at a high level once again.

“I remember when I first started running, the way it felt I’m like, ‘This is never going to heal.'” he said. “That’s just part of the process. It’s my first time running, I’m not expected to go out and run a five-second 40 [yard dash], we’re working back into it. But I remember just the feeling and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, this doesn’t feel good at all.’ And then keep doing it, and then the running feels totally fine. And then you’re doing football stuff, but I’m like ‘Gosh, I can’t kick set right now.’ It’s just like I can’t push off it.

“A couple of weeks later, boom, you’re totally fine. What I go through is I kind of put myself through an O-line indie (individual drill) and do all these drills and stuff and felt totally fine, which was huge. This is right after the season is over, started doing that stuff.”

Bucs RG Cody Mauch and QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The next step for Mauch – or any lineman – is hitting someone else.

“Now everything feels totally fine, so now, its just the next step is doing it against other people,” Mauch said. “I have to keep telling myself this, my knee’s fine, my knee’s healed. It’s a mental thing, so once you start going up against guys again, then you’re probably total fine, back to normal.”

The Bucs offensive line may have been the group to suffer the most with injury last season. Mauch missed 15 games. Tristan Wirfs was out for five, including the first three of the season, forcing the Bucs to move starting center Graham Barton out to left tackle. Right tackle Luke Goedeke, the team’s starting right tackle, was gone for six games, while left guard Ben Bredeson missed six as well.

Only Barton played all 17 games amongst the original starting offensive line. Missing Mauch at the beginning definitely took a toll. He had truly worked out as a top-tier offensive guard in the league. The steps he took going from a tackle at North Dakota State to starting right guard on Tampa Bay’s offensive line were fantastic.

Regaining Confidence For Mauch And Bucs’ O-Line

The 2026 season is a big year coming up for Cody Mauch, who is entering a contract year. He’ll have to rely on his confidence once again to get back up to playing speed and excel to the point where he can earn a lucrative second contract in Tampa Bay.

Bucs RG Cody Mauch – Photo by: USA Today

“The first year is such a whirlwind and you’re trying to stay alive at times,” Mauch said. “The second year I was so much more confident. The way I was feeling the first two weeks last year I felt like it was going to be a great year. The biggest thing was that I was so confident at the beginning of the season. And after having a good second year I took all that confidence into the next year. Now, for me, it’s just keeping that confidence going even though I’m coming off the knee and some uncertainties. Just keeping that confidence going and really pick up where I left off.”

Check out Pewter Report’s entire interview with Mauch on the Pewter Report Podcast by clicking the link below. And subscribe to our PewterReportTV YouTube channel.