FAB 3. WESTER’S EXPERIENCE AT JUMBO TIGHT END PAYS OFF
David Irving was a sudden monster for Dallas in the fourth quarter of Tampa Bay’s 26-20 loss on Sunday Night Football. Irving, an unheralded second-year defensive end, who entered the game with 1.5 sacks over his first 24 games in the league, erupted for two sacks and had five quarterback hits on Jameis Winston as the Bucs’ offense fizzled in the final 15 minutes.

Irving was so hot that he injured right tackle Gosder Cherlius and forced rookie Leonard Wester, an undrafted free agent, into the lineup for his first NFL action at offensive tackle late in the fourth quarter with Demar Dotson being inactive due to a concussion. Entering the game during a two-minute drill without any timeouts and needing a touchdown is not an ideal situation to take your first meaningful snaps in the league. Like Cherilus, Wester was knocked around a bit as the Bucs’ comeback effort fell short.

Bucs OT Leonard Wester – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“Talk about being thrown into the fire,” Bucs right guard Ali Marpet said. “Pretty difficult to do to come in as an offensive lineman partway through the game and to come in to the situation that he did with the two-minute, it’s very difficult to do. I think Leonard did all right and maybe that will show that he can play a full game down the road.”

For Wester, down the road might mean this week. Cherilus hasn’t practiced all week due to groin and ankle injuries he suffered against Dallas. Dotson, who missed both the New Orleans and the Dallas games after suffering a concussion against San Diego, was limited in practice on Wednesday, but did not practice on Thursday. He remains in the concussion protocol and has not been cleared to play on Saturday against the Saints.

If Dotson and Cherlius can’t go, and it’s looking like that may be the case, Wester could get his first NFL start at right tackle. If he thought Irving was tough, wait until he gets a load of 6-foot-4, 287-pound Cameron Jordan, a two-time Pro Bowl defensive end for New Orleans. Jordan had five tackles, two quarterback hits and half a sack against Cherlius two weeks ago.

“He’s one of their game-wreckers,” Bucs offensive coordinator Todd Monken said. “He’s a guy that you have to know where he’s at. He can jump around blocks, he gets edgy, he’s long, plays hard. Between him and [defensive tackle Nick] Fairley in the D-line, those two guys were very disruptive in our first game. So like any game, who are their game-wreckers, who are the guys you’ve got to take away if you can? It’s hard because they do move them around, so we’re going to have to do a great job no matter who’s playing right tackle this week.”

What will help Wester should he see action at right tackle against Jordan in New Orleans was not just his four snaps at right tackle against Dallas. It’s the fact that played five snaps as the Bucs’ jumbo tight end against the Cowboys and the 13 snaps he played at that position the week prior against the Saints.

“Yeah, that’s just something we believe in, we call it the ‘jumbo’ tight end,” Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter said. “The jumbo tight end is usually our third tackle, our swing tackle because your swing tackle has to be able to play out of a right-handed and a left-handed stance. So when he’s playing the jumbo tight end, that comes into play. And it does help build experience for when the guy has to go in and actually play tackle.

“Kevin Pamphile played that role for us very well last year and led to him having a nice year this year as a starter at guard. ‘Gos’ has filled that role for us for most of the year, but it was Leonard Wester, it was his first action since the preseason. He’s a guy – Leonard and Caleb Benenoch, two young offensive linemen – that we’ve brought along slowly this year, but we have high hopes for the future and that is a way to get them a few snaps before they have to get to play every snap.”

Bucs RT Gosder Cherilus – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Credit Koetter and offensive line coach George Warhop for preparing young players like Pamphile and Wester for bigger roles on offense with their usage as the jumbo tight end, and for making use of a veteran like Cherilus in that role before he had to step in for the injured Dotson. Getting reps in run blocking situations – even just 18 over the past two games for Wester – is a great transition into playing down-in, down-out football along the offensive line.

“It was pretty much baptism by fire out there,” Wester said. “There wasn’t any warning it was just, ‘Hey we need you to go in there [at right tackle].’ I didn’t really have time to think about it. You’ve just got to take every opportunity you can get and try and make the most of it and I just tried to go out there and compete.

“Those reps at jumbo tight end are super valuable. Any way you can get experience – other than like field goal, but that doesn’t really carry over – that experience is just priceless. Any way you can get experience and actual game-time reps is really important. With the Saints game, I got like 15 reps I think. Just getting that experience helps you go further, whether it’s in the jumbo or actually playing tackle. It’s just one of those things where you want experience any way you can get it.”

When the Buccaneers signed Wester out of Missouri Western, the team gave him a $20,000 signing bonus, which was the largest amount they dished out in May, in addition to guaranteeing $15,000 of his rookie salary. He was so impressive in training camp and in the preseason that the Bucs kept four offensive tackles and didn’t risk losing him by trying to sneak him on the practice squad.

When Dotson suffered his concussion prior to the Saints game two weeks ago, the door was opened for some playing time for the 6-foot-5, 307-pound rookie against New Orleans and Dallas.

“He did fine,” Monken said. “Leonard’s going to be a good football player, he’s worked awfully hard to get where he’s at today. He’s earned the position that he’s in, being on this roster and he’s only going to continue to get better. Luckily the week before, we had him in some ‘jumbo’ sets, so that gave him a little bit of a taste, so his first taste wasn’t going to be lining up at right tackle.”

Thanks to the foresight of the Bucs coaching staff, Wester’s previous experience as a blocking tight end might serve him well on Saturday if called upon to play right tackle. At the very least, Wester should see some action as the team’s jumbo tight end once again.

“I love it because not only it is an opportunity to see the field, but the coaches are showing their faith in your ability and then just the mentality that we have that we have this extra guy in here and we want to try and run the ball and control the clock,” Wester said. “As an offensive lineman I love that because we all love running the ball. And as a tight end, you’re eligible. That’s every tackle’s dream – catching that tackle pass.”

Should Wester start at right tackle, it will be his first real action there outside of the final series against Dallas. He spent three years starting at left tackle in college as well as the preseason in Tampa Bay.

“I played left all through college, played it primarily here too, but I’ve been spending a lot of time in practice working on the right as much as I can – whether it’s one-on-one’s or just individuals, or even team run period. I’m just trying to get as many reps as I can. Over the course of time I’ve become much more comfortable over there. Obviously it’s not going be something you’ve spent five years doing. You’re not going be in the same place that you are, but I feel comfortable with my ability.”

Bucs OT Leonard Wester – Photo courtesy of the Buccaneers

The entire offensive line has been helpful in aiding Wester’s development during his rookie campaign, but there has been one player that has stood out and been a true mentor.

“That’s Gosder Cherilus all the way,” Wester said. “He’s been in the league for nine years, and he’s got so much knowledge, so much experience. I mean he was a first-round draft pick. At one point he was the highest paid right tackle in NFL history with Indianapolis. He was a really good player. It’s just unfortunate that his body kind of failed him. But he’s the type of guy that you just have to go ask him questions and listen to him and he’s willing to help you out with anything. For me, anytime I had a question, you get a response from a coach, but then you want ask a guy who’s been there, who’s done it. He has unlimited knowledge of any situation you’re going be in. He’s been great.”

There’s a bit of irony in Cherilus playing the role of Wester’s mentor and then the rookie replacing Cherilus at jumbo tight end when the veteran had to fill in for Dotson at right tackle. On Saturday night, Wester might have to make the big step of filling in for Cherlius once more at right tackle. Even the little bit of experience Wester has received at jumbo tight end over the last two games will serve him well.

“You never know how you’re going to react to what’s going to happen until you go out and do it,” Wester said. “Coach actually told me that the first place I’d probably see the field is in that jumbo tight end set. Just having that experience is going be huge going into next year because you know what to expect. Things aren’t going be as hectic. The offseason is when a player like me can take the time to really focus on my technique and really focus on my strength. Just getting reps and being in the game this late in the season is invaluable in my growth.”

Marpet sees why the Bucs have kept the rookie from Missouri Western on the active roster all season rather than take the chances of losing him on the practice squad.

“Some guys you need to ease them in and some times you need to throw them in and hope that it works out,” Marpet said. “But I think he’s gotten some good reps and good experience and he’ll become a better player because of it. Leonard is athletic, and he’s pretty fluid. He’s not a mauler, but he’s pretty fluid in his movement. It’s not something you can generally teach. Some guys have it and some guys don’t. He has it.”

Wester could be getting a whole lot more experience on Saturday afternoon in New Orleans.