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When you listen to coach Todd Bowles talk about his team’s wayward running game, he is always sure to point out that the problem runs deeper than the struggles of the team’s lead back, Rachaad White. And while the more exciting Buccaneers NFL trade deadline proposals we’ve heard involve the likes of star runners Derrick Henry, Zack Moss and Dalvin Cook, if you are one to believe Bowles you might well be inclined to think Tampa should be looking at an offensive lineman.
It will be interesting to see if GM Jason Licht agrees.
“It’s the same thing,” Bowles said this week, answering the same questions about the run game he has been facing for two years now. “Sometimes it’s a block here and there, sometimes we miss the cut completely. Whether it’s a lineman or a receiver, we just have to do better as a group.”
It is probably safe to assume that the running woes do not come down entirely to the Bucs running backs. The Bucs have not had much success across the board offensively, and rank 26th in total points, at 103. They’re 15th in passing yardage, and 29th in rushing yards, and now rate 31st in the league with 3.1 yards per carry.
With that in mind, and with the NFL trade deadline approaching for the Bucs, there is a solid and available interior offensive lineman who could give the Bucs the running boost they need—Minnesota’s Ezra Cleveland.
Buccaneers Landing OL at NFL Trade Deadline?
Ezra Cleveland is a guard who was a second-round pick from 2020 who has underwhelmed in his time in Minnesota and, as a pending free agent, has been an oft-mentioned name on the market, connected in some places to the Bucs ahead of the NFL trade deadline.
Bleacher Report suggested last week that the Bucs could go after Cleveland in free agency next year. But if the team is serious about a playoff push this year, why not go after him now?
In looking at Cleveland’s trade value last week, Pro Football Focus pegged his value at something like a 2025 fourth-round pick, with a sixth-rounder coming back from the Vikings. That is a scant price, even for a team with cap issues like the Bucs.
Here’s what B/R had to say about Cleveland coming to Tampa (and really, whether it is in a Bucs NFL trade deadline deal or in free agency does not much matter):
“Matt Feiler hasn’t been very good for the Buccaneers this season and is only on a one-year deal.
“Meanwhile, Cleveland is having a strong campaign with impressive grades across the board from Pro Football Focus through the Vikings’ first five games. Also, he doesn’t turn 26 years old until May, so he could be a good player in Tampa Bay for a while.”
Bucs Need Help in Running Game
Certainly, something must be done about the running game for the Buccaneers at the NFL trade deadline. Getting help on the line is probably a safer play than swinging for a running back.
The Tampa Bay interior line is among the worst in the NFL. Accord to Pro Football Focus’ grading system, starting center Robert Hainsey ranks 30th among 38 centers, and guard Cody Mauch is 75th of 80 guards. The other guard, Matt Feiler, is injured for Thursday’s game, and is middle-of-the-pack at his position, 54th of 80.
The Bucs have one of the best tackle combos in the NFL with Tristan Wirfs on the left side and Luke Goedeke on the right, but they can’t mask the rest of the line’s weakness.
Only an added player can. And Ezra Cleveland is a sensible NFL trade deadline addition for the Bucs.
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