Todd Bowles and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers need all the help they can get to protect Baker Mayfield from harm. They just had a fairly deep run in the last postseason and are looking to gun for a Super Bowl appearance by the Spring of 2025. However, things may have gone south in that goal after a few days of Buccaneers training camp. This is because the squad may have just received some very terrible news regarding Sua Opeta.
Todd Bowles and the Buccaneers are likely not going to have Sua Opeta in their upcoming campaign. The veteran guard and lineman apparently tore his ACL at Buccaneers training camp. He reportedly went down during their sessions at the indoor facility on Tuesday and had to immediately be given medical attention, via Jenna Laine of ESPN.
This injury apparently came as a result of the heated lineman battle. It was so that Bowles could assess between Opeta and Ben Bredeson would be able to become a starter to protect Baker Mayfield by the start of the year. Both of them are acquisitions in NFL Free Agency which means that they had a lot to prove in Buccaneers training camp. Unfortunately, Opeta overexerted himself during that time. As a result, the Buccaneers are likely not going to have him in the rotation at all for their 2024-25 run.
It was also not just Bredeson that Opeta had to worry about in Buccaneers training camp. The Buccaneers had some big additions like Elijah Klein who is eager to crack the starting rotation. Not to mention, Duke football program standout Graham Barton also has the skill set to compete for the spot despite being a rookie. All of this pressure can surely get to someone regardless of their veteran acumen.
Sua Opeta before joining the Buccaneers
Opeta has been one of the more serviceable backups in the league. He had a great run with the Philadelphia Eagles from his rookie campaign up to last season. However, there was a plan for him to get elevated into a bigger role in the Buccaneers system. After all, it is just about time that he does so because he had only started in 10 out of the 38 games that he has appeared in.
His game still needs some polishing. He especially commits some errors that could take away the momentum of Mayfield and the rest of the Buccaneers offense. To put it into perspective, he has amassed three holding calls and a false start throughout his career. While these are very minimal, not having to worry about accruing a penalty should always be the expectation for Bowles or any other coach in the league. Hopefully, he is able to bounce back and work on his game with the Buccaneers some more in the upcoming seasons.
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