Bucs OG Matt Feiler: Professional Lineman

The Bucs offensive line had a down year in 2022. So the team decided to revamp their blocking unit in 2023. Current projections would call for not a single position to be manned by the same player as last season. Some of these are due to position changes (offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs moving from the right side to the left), some are due to former starters returning from injury (center Ryan Jensen), while still others are young players stepping into premium roles (Luke Goedeke moving back to his natural position of right tackle and Cody Mauch stepping into right guard). But with the left guard spot the Bucs have taken still a different path, in signing a professional lineman.

Matt Feiler is not a superstar. He never has been, and at 31 years old and now entering his seventh season it is unlikely he ever will be. But as a professional lineman what he does provide is a capable and knowledgeable player who can be counted on to get the job done most of the time.

It has been said many times before by many an analyst smarter than me that offensive line play is a weak-link system. That was shown to be true last year with the Bucs at the left guard position when then-rookie Goedeke struggled to adjust to a new position at a much higher level of competition than he had ever experienced before. Despite solid play from most of the rest of the line, Goedeke was quite literally one of the worst guards in the league and the Bucs offense sputtered in large part due to his play.

In steps Feiler to hopefully remedy that ailment for Tampa Bay. A move from terrible to average can often be just as big a lynchpin for a unit as the move from average to phenomenal.

Bucs Got Feiler On The Cheap

Feiler was the victim of circumstances, which aided in his being available for the Bucs. After putting up four solid seasons in Pittsburgh as mainly a right tackle, the Chargers signed him to a three-year, $21 million contract in 2021. They also continued his switch from right tackle to left guard which had begun in the 2020 season. His first year in Los Angeles proved to be rather successful as Feiler posted a 74.0 Pro Football Focus grade, showing especially well as a run blocker.

Then in 2022 Feiler took a rather substantial step backwards. There were still signs of the above average player he had proven to be over the previous five seasons, but mixed in with those good performances were some real duds. With only two really good games for the year and 6-7 bad ones the Chargers had to make a decision on whether they wanted Feiler to finish out his contract. With relatively little dead money affixed to his contract and Jamaree Salyer having proven himself to be a very capable replacement the Chargers let Feiler go.

This put Feiler in a bind. He was coming off of a down season at a position he had little experience at but was now two years removed from playing tackle. At 31 years old these question marks depressed Feiler’s market. This left him as a perfect option for the Bucs who were looking for simply adequate play after Goedeke’s disastrous 2022 season and additional depth in general.

Feiler’s 2022 Season Was A Step Back

As mentioned before, Feiler had a really successful 2021 in Los Angeles. He was especially good as a run blocker, posting a 78.5 PFF grade in that department. And the tape showed just how good he really was.

The left side of the #Chargers offensive line — LT Rashawn Slater, LG Matt Feiler and C Corey Linsley — is a genuine weapon in the running game. pic.twitter.com/Iu0LJCBQQw

— Daniel Popper (@danielrpopper) November 5, 2021

Under offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, Feiler was asked to run block in a power run scheme that required a lot of double teams. He thrived in this system.

The execution of these combo blocks by Rashawn Slater/Matt Feiler and Corey Linsley/Zion Johnson is absolutely beautiful. Offensive line art. pic.twitter.com/WKWA2yG76s

— Steven Haglund (@StevenIHaglund) September 14, 2022

And when he was asked to work in space it was often as a puller where he could target a lineman coming off the edge. He exceled in this facet of the game as well.

Really like what the Chargers did in the shotgun run game on Sunday. Pin and pull with Matt Feiler here. Watch Trey Pipkins and Zion Johnson though. pic.twitter.com/haeGiWmt3Z

— Steven Haglund (@StevenIHaglund) November 8, 2022

So, what changed in 2022 that caused his run blocking to regress from a strength to a weakness? From what I could tell watching three of his games (@ Kansas City in week 2, @ Atlanta in week 9 and @ San Francisco in week 10) Feiler was asked to do different things in a run game that evolved into something new. And he wasn’t as good at the new asks. Remember the double team from earlier? Now compare it to this rep where he is asked to get to the second level and cover a linebacker in space.

This was a consistent opportunity in his play across all three games. You can see it again here against Kansas City.

And he didn’t struggle in space just on these second-level blocks. There were multiple times where he was late to get to his spot or missed a defender in the screen game.

These were the crux of Feilers issues for the majority of the snaps I watched him play last year.

Can Feiler Succeed In The Bucs New Mid Zone Scheme

I have my concerns. It’s not that he has never done it. And it’s not that he hasn’t shown from time to time he can execute.

It’s just there isn’t a lot of evidence to support it. Feiler seems to work best when he is moving north and south, not east and west.

One reason to have some hope is that Feiler has looked good on the move while run blocking, albeit again in a different scheme. As a puller he is extremely adept at locking onto his target and stonewalling edge defenders.

Feiler As A Pass Protector

In pass pro Feiler profiles as boom or bust player depending on who he is matched up against. If he is responsible for one-on-ones against some of the stronger defensive tackles in the game things can get rough as evidenced by the absolute field day Chris Jones had against him last year.

And I know I am bound to hear that Chris Jones tends to do that to most offensive linemen. While this is absolutely true, this game against the Chargers was one of his best which shows Feiler struggled comparatively as well.

It’s not just Jones who pushed him around either. Feiler tends to struggle with his anchor despite his hefty build. This showed up consistently in the games I watched.

But while this will most likely continue to be an issue, as he can offer up too much of his chest to longer more powerful opponents, he can also hang relatively well in the aggregate. There was a solid number of good reps through the games I watched when it came to protecting the quarterback. This was largely due to a solid base and active hands that he uses to his advantage.

And one area where Feiler excels is passing off stunts and twists. More often than not he finds and eliminates the looper, keeping his quarterback clean.

And every so often he cold clocks an unsuspecting lineman, putting him on his ass in Ryan Jensen-like fashion.

Technically Feiler was aided by his center’s legs sweeping Grady Jarrett to the ground, but don’t you Bucs fans want to see Grady Jarrett down for the count? Well then how bout one more of Feiler de-cleating an opponent…just for fun!

What Can We Expect With Feiler In Tampa Bay?

This is the $2.5 million dollar question, isn’t it? I have no doubt the overall pass protection Feiler will create will be better than what Goedeke produced last year. But will it be better than Nick Leverett, who replaced Goedeke mid-way through the season? I’m not so sure it will be. However, at the relatively low salary the Bucs committed to Feiler he certainly increases the floor of the offensive line room while adding good depth. As for him as a run blocker, I love the idea of him working on pin and pulls and double teams, but I have serious concerns as to whether he will thrive in the Bucs new running scheme.