FAB 4. Gardner Garnering Praise Heading Into Training Camp

With Donovan Smith out for much of the OTAs during the offseason while battling a nagging minor injury there was a new face at left tackle for Tampa Bay. While logic said to have Leonard Wester, the team’s reserve swing tackle last year, fill in for Smith on the left side, offseason knee surgery for Demar Dotson prompted the team to start Wester there instead. The reasoning was that with right guard J.R. Sweezy sidelined with his recovery from a broken leg, the Bucs wanted Caleb Benenoch, who subbed for Dotson at right tackle at the end of the 2017 season, to start at right guard instead of tackle.

The Bucs view Wester as a possible starting right tackle someday, and view Benenoch as a contender for the starting right guard job this year. Having those two play those positions down in and down out this offseason accelerated their learning curves.

At left tackle, the Bucs inserted Cole Gardner, an unknown commodity to most outside of One Buccaneer Place, and he really stood out this spring – as much as an offensive lineman without pads can stand out.

“Cole Gardner on the other side, since Donovan has been in and out a little bit this spring, that guy is one of the biggest surprises probably of offseason,” said Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter.

Gardner got all of the starting reps at left tackle when Smith was out and held his own against the likes of Jason Pierre-Paul in the mini-camp, and Vinny Curry, Will Clarke and Noah Spence in the OTAs. You might recall that Gardner and Spence got into a training camp dust-up last year before a shoulder injury cost Gardner his rookie season after signing with the Bucs as an undrafted free agent from Eastern Michigan.

Bucs LT Cole Gardner – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Gardner needed shoulder surgery and was waived injured on August 19 before being placed on injured reserve on August 20. Now that he’s healthy, Gardner took full advantage of his increased reps and playing time with the starting offensive line. He’s hoping the momentum he generated with several good outings in May and June will carry over into training camp at the end of next month.

“It was a great opportunity,” Gardner said. “The motto is ‘next man up,’ so you fill in the spot and do the best you can. Being next to guys like Ali really helped me a lot. They helped me with the calls and the playbook – figuring everything out so I can play confident and play faster. The D-line we go against every day is amazing, so they really help us out. I’m feeling confident about everything.

“There are days when you are going to get them and they are going to get you. That’s how you learn. The little things they do to you, they figure out where your weaknesses are. Every day you have a chance to get better and do your thing. I felt good. I felt like I wasn’t a hindrance.”

Although he wasn’t in the huddle with Gardner during the offseason, Dotson admired the growth of the second-year tackle from the sidelines.

“Cole came out of nowhere, man,” Dotson said. “He was here during training camp last year and then he got hurt, but he came back. Cole is competing. Cole is looking good. He’s that surprise guy that is coming out of nowhere. We’re in shorts right now and you can’t really tell until a person gets in pads, but he’s running with the ones and he has really good technique. He puts his hands on people. He puts himself in good position most of the time. It’s going to be good to see him once he gets pads on. That’s one of the surprise guys that can make this roster.”

Dotson made Tampa Bay’s roster as an undrafted free agent in 2009 after switching from basketball to football and then from transitioning from defensive tackle to offensive tackle. Dotson arrived at One Buc Place 10 years ago weighing a lean 260 pounds and had to put on 50 pounds of muscle in the span of two years to become a starting NFL tackle.

Gardner knows all about packing on the pounds. He started his Eastern Michigan career at tight end before transitioning to left tackle to help the offensive line during his senior season. Gardner started all 13 games in 2016 and finished his collegiate career with 32 starts at tight end and left tackle, while playing in 48 career games.

“It took a lot,” Gardner said about his weight gain at the Eastern Michigan media day in 2016. “We talked about it and made the change in June. It was straight to the calories. I took in 6,000 calories a day for three months to get my weight up. I went into the season about 285, so it was about a 40-pound jump right there. It was easy once I got that done. Once I put the size on the only thing we had to really work on was getting the plays down, getting the communication down and my pass set. Once I got that down it was an easy transition from tight end. It wasn’t that different. We blocked a lot. That’s what they used me for.”

Now the 6-foot-6 Gardner, who is under contract through 2019, weighs 302 pounds and looked like a legitimate NFL tackle in the spring.

“Cole has been standing out ever since the beginning of OTAs,” Dotson said. “He’s been watching more film and I’ve been watching him out here and in the meeting rooms and you see him standing out. He’s looking good. He’s moving good and putting himself in position. He’s not out of position a lot. He’s using his hands. He still has a lot to learn, but for a guy in his second year, he’s standing out.

Bucs LT Cole Gardner – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“He’s stronger and he got a stronger base. I think he was out there in Arizona working with the former O-lineman LeCharles Bentley. A lot of the O-linemen go there and work, and what you notice about them when they come back is that they have a really strong base.”

Despite not being in pads, it’s been easy to see why Gardner has stood out during the OTAs. The converted tight end has the footwork of an agile lineman, and there is some minor contact from the defensive linemen during pass rush in 11-on-11s that tested Gardner’s base and balance. Getting to work against several types of defensive ends this offseason has proven to be invaluable.

“They all stand out,” Gardner said. “They all have something different that they bring. Vinny is quick and he has a lot of moves. Noah is fast. JPP is super long. All of a sudden, he has his hands on you and you don’t know how it happens. Beau [Allen] has a great motor and so does Mitch [Unrein]. They’re all big, stout guys and they are here for a reason.”

In August when the pads come on, Gardner will be out to prove that he’s here for a reason, too. Smith will be the unquestioned starter at left tackle, but Gardner intends to prove that he belongs on Tampa Bay’s 53-man roster as the team’s swing tackle this year.