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The Bucs have been without starting right tackle Luke Goedeke since Week 3 after he injured his foot in Week 2 on Monday Night Football. Goedeke has been on injured reserve ever since and although he is eligible to be taken off the list having missed the minimum of four games, his recovery has taken a little longer than Tampa Bay fans would have liked.

There is one more game for the Bucs in Week 8 against the Saints before a well-deserved bye in Week 9. Goedeke won’t be available for the NFC South divisional matchup, but is he coming back sooner rather than later?

Bucs RT Luke Goedeke – Photo by: Jeffrey Jones/PR

According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN in a recent article, Goedeke is “trending positively” toward a return in the second half of the season. Fowler was writing about how banged up the Bucs are with a bye week really needed and added in the Goedeke news at the end of it. Here’s what he said about the team’s starting right tackle.

“No team has been more knocked by injury than the Buccaneers, who have a Week 9 bye. Many with the Bucs have a simple goal in mind: Take care of business vs. the Saints at home, then get right coming out of the bye for the stretch run. Losing Mike Evans (collarbone) is brutal, but the Bucs don’t have to overreact with a splash trade at the position. Emeka Egbuka is a starter, Tez Johnson is emerging and Chris Godwin Jr. will be back. Also trending positively for the second half of the season: right tackle Luke Goedeke.”

Bucs Have Missed Luke Goedeke At Right Tackle

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles was asked about Luke Goedeke prior to Tampa Bay’s latest game and didn’t have to much of an update other than he “would hope” that he’d back back at some point this season and that he “should be.”

“When he gets out there and practices, I’ll have a better ballpark,” Bowles said on a timeline of Goedeke’s return. “Until now, he’s rehabbing like the rest of them. I honestly don’t have one right now until I see him out there running around doing something. I don’t have a ballpark estimate of him right now.”

Bucs WR Emeka Egbuka and RT Luke Goedeke – Photo by: USA Today

Tampa Bay has been able to weather the storm without have their very important right tackle. They’ve gone 3-2 in his absence and have a 5-2 record overall before playing a winnable game in New Orleans. His replacement has been Charlie Heck, who has done a solid job at right tackle with some hiccups here and there.

The last game, which was a 24-9 loss for the Bucs at the Lions, was a tough one for Heck as it was for the entire offensive line. That unit just got pushed around by the Lions up front, making it difficult for Baker Mayfield to get comfortable and stay in the pocket to throw. Heck had the unenviable task of going up against Aidan Hutchinson with some help here and there from tight ends Cade Otton and Payne Durham along with some chip blocks from Rachaad White.

Bucs OT Charlie Heck – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

There were nine pressures allowed by Heck in that game. And while Pro Football Focus grades aren’t the end all be all, his 43.4 overall grade for the season isn’t exactly inspiring. He actually graded out much better on Monday, with a 56.4 grade, than he typically does. While the Bucs have kept afloat, there’s no doubt that they’re better off when having their starter in place for the long haul.

Goedeke has been seen around open locker room without any boot on or anything. That’s typically a good sign that he’s closer to a return. There are still some tough games coming up for the Bucs out of the bye with matchups immediately against the Patriots, Bills and Rams. Those are no easy games by any means and having Goedeke return for any of those puts the Bucs in a much better position to succeed.