It was just one preseason tilt, but the offensive line of the Buccaneers has emerged as a screaming red light in Tampa Bay.
Starting quarterback Josh McCown spent all four of his drives running for dear life in Friday night's loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
No stranger to questionable line play from his days in Chicago, Lovie Smith isn't wasting time making changes. The Bucs coach told reporters over the weekend that starting right guard Jamon Meredith has been yanked from the first string into a backup offensive tackle role.
"Jamon didn't play as well as he needed to, so we're going to let him concentrate a little bit more at the tackle position and give that next group of guards an opportunity," Smith said, per Roy Cummings of The Tampa Tribune.
The role for now will go to Jace Daniels, who stepped into the right guard spot in Sunday's practice for a line that's seen immense transition over the past two seasons.
Once anchored by the well-paid trio of Davin Joseph, Donald Penn and Carl Nicks, Tampa's current front five features a collage of mid-tier blockers who looked helpless against Jacksonville's pass rush.
It's one reason the Bucs are continually linked to whispers of a trade for disgruntled 49ers guard Alex Boone.
*The latest Around The League Podcast highlights the winners and losers from the first week of preseason action. *
