Bucs Sign Veteran Offensive Lineman With Starting Experience

The Bucs are signing veteran offensive lineman Matt Feiler, per NFL Network’s Peter Schrager. Feiler is heading into his seventh NFL season after beginning the first four years of his career with the Texans, Steelers and Chargers.

At 6’6′” and weighing 330 pounds, Feiler has shown versatility as an offensive lineman playing both guard and tackle. He played his college football at Bloomsburg and started in every game from 2010 to 2014. Feiler went undrafted that year and signed with the Texans after attending their rookie mini-camp on a tryout. He played on their practice squad that season.

OL Matt Feiler – Photo By: USA Today

Feiler was was waived by the Texans the in September of the following year and claimed by the Steelers just three days later. He ended up playing there for six more seasons, then signing a three-year $15 million deal with the Chargers in free agency. However, Feiler was released by Los Angeles in March of this year.

The starting experience and versatility of Feiler should be intriguing to the Bucs. With that said, he most likely projects as a guard, where he’s played in most recent seasons. Feiler has played in 78 career games and started in 73 of them. That’s a lot of value for Tampa Bay as they look to find another starting tackle. Feiler played mostly right tackle with the Steelers from 2017-2019 where he started in 27 of 32 games. In 2020 the Steelers moved him over to left guard and he started all 13 games that he played. After signing with the Chargers he continued to played left guard for the next two seasons, starting in all 33 games.

Feiler has pretty good durability, playing in 62 out of 65 over the last four years. Considering recent injuries to the offensive line for the Bucs last season, that’s another important factor of bringing him in.

Bucs Offensive Line Outlook

The Bucs will have to decide whether Feiler is better suited at offensive guard or tackle. At guard, they have Nick Leverrett and Robert Hainsey, who started at left guard and center respectively last season. They’ll also have Aaron Stinnie returning, who missed all of last season with a knee injury but did start for the Bucs in throughout the playoffs on their Super Bowl run.

Bucs LG Nick Leverett and Panthers DT Matt Ioannidis – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The last piece of that puzzle is Luke Goedeke, since he moved around as a rookie last year. Goedeke began the season starting at guard but he struggled heavily and was replaced when he got injured. Goedeke did start at right tackle in the regular season finale and played really well. Tampa Bay has to make a decision on where to play him as well.

At tackle, the Bucs obviously have arguably the best tackle in football with Tristan Wirfs on the right side, but he may move over to left depending on how the draft pans out. Outside of that there’s a couple of practice squad players and Brandon Walton, who started a game for the Bucs after a series of injuries. Tampa Bay will more than likely draft a tackle to add depth.

Signing Feiler helps add to a room that has made a lot of changes this offseason. The Bucs like versatile players and Feiler is the type of player that should fit into what they’re looking for.

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