Can we have a heart-to-heart, Bucs Twitter? Y’all are something else.

After yesterday’s injury to Ryan Jensen, you have anointed JC Tretter the new starting center for your Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In the process you have deemed backup center Robert Hainsey incapable of being a quality starter on a Super Bowl-hopeful offensive line.

But let’s pump the brakes.

I know, general manager Jason Licht has engrained in you that the Bucs are just playing real-life Madden. If there is a big name available, the Bucs should – and will – have him!

I get it. But before we armchair general manage the team in all of 24 hours, can we at least list the pros and cons of ALL of the options available?

Tretter’s Pros

Okay, so let’s talk about Tretter. He was a fourth-round selection of the Green Bay Packers in 2013. He is 31 years old and coming off of a solid season per Pro Football Focus with an overall grade of 78.7. As a matter of fact, Tretter has not posted a PFF grade below 69 since 2014. He has shown to be one of the better centers in the league for the last five years.

Tretter is a veteran who has faced NFL defenses for years. Looking more in-depth, Tretter is a better pass-blocker than run. He has graded out above an 80 in pass protection each of the last six seasons. That is a good amount of pros for the 6-foot-4 307-pound center.

Tretter’s Cons

How about the cons? Let’s start with scheme. It’s not the end-all-be-all, but Tretter has worked mainly in a wide zone scheme over the last few years. The Bucs primarily run duo. The difference between the two is substantial in terms of what it asks of the offensive line. In wide zone, a lineman needs to be quick and nimble in order to move in space. Typically, it requires offensive linemen to be lighter and faster. In duo, linemen are expected to be bigger and more powerful in order to drive defensive linemen backwards. Tretter has excelled in wide zone due to his smaller, more agile frame.

Bucs C Ryan Jensen – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Compare his build to that of Jensen, who is listed at 319 pounds. That 10-pound difference makes a world of difference. And before you say “Well Tretter can just put on the weight,” keep in mind he would be trying to do that as the team works into the season. 

It is incredibly hard for a player to add weight during the season considering the physical exertion they are putting into practice/games, especially during training camp. Changing body types is a practice NFL players leave for the off-season for a reason.

There is also the fact that both Robert Hainsey and Nick Leverett know the Bucs offense and are ahead of the curve from that perspective. Hainsey was a third-round pick and Tampa Bay wants to see what he can do before panicking and signing a veteran castoff.

Lastly, let’s not forget that Tretter is still available. And it is probably for a reason. That reason may be personal, as after nine years he has decided to call it a career. I don’t know, but that could be a possibility.

It could also be for football reasons. After the retirement of 49ers center Alex Mack, Tretter was all but deemed the heir-apparent in San Francisco. Like the Bucs, they are legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Keep in mind the 49ers made it further than the Bucs in the playoffs last year. To top it off, the 49ers are the archetype of the wide zone offense, with head coach Kyle Shanahan thought of as the mini-Godfather of the scheme that is so prevalent in the league now.

And yet, the 49ers have not signed Tretter.

Final Thoughts

I do not doubt that Tretter is a good player who could help the Bucs offensive line. But as with all things I disagree with Bucs Twitter on, it is more nuanced than just saying, “Big name who has been good in the past is best option.”

Plus, while Licht has brought in big-name free agents in the recent past, most of those have been in different circumstances. Julio Jones was not signed to be a starter, but rather depth. Akiem Hicks was not signed to plug a hole created due to injury.

If we look for the last time the team signed an aging veteran to plug for an injury, we would have to look at Richard Sherman. How did that go?

The Browns released Tretter, opting to go with an inexperienced third-year player in Nick Harris. Harris is a former fifth-round pick with 211 career snaps. The 49ers have elected to not to sign Tretter as of yet. Instead, they are turning to a previously undrafted free agent with six career snaps in Jake Brendel.

Multiple teams with legitimate Super Bowl hopes are electing to go with unproven players at center over Tretter. So maybe something is there that we should all consider before we rush off to sign the second-coming.

So, Bucs Twitter take a deep breath. And consider ALL of the facts.