In his encore campaign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, right guard Cody Mauch is looking to eliminate mistakes and build synergy with both his teammates and within his own game. Now that the game has slowed down in Year Two, Mauch is vying to refine his craft at training camp.
"I think every game I played last year; I got a little bit better," noted Mauch. "But now, I want to eliminate some of those stupid mistakes and stupid losses on certain reps. Just want to get rid of those and to play better consistently."
As part of the refinement process, Mauch put on 15 pounds during the offseason to gain strength. Although the real test will come when the pads come on to gauge anchor in pass protection, Mauch does not feel the body transformation has slowed him down. Instead, it has prompted ascension.
"Obviously the biggest thing for Cody is you look for more strength," Bowles said back in March. "Coming in out of college last year, he's worked on that in the offseason, he looks bigger. He's always been smart, he's always been tough, and I think the game has slowed down for him quite a bit. We look for him to take the next step mentally."
Cohesiveness for offensive linemen is paramount. The front line dictates the pace of the offense and in 2024, Mauch will play an integral role in its success. Part of Mauch's development is understanding where his help is and being on the same page with right tackle Luke Goedeke. In the Buccaneers' revamped offense under Liam Coen, there is an uptick in movement not only with shifts/motions, but with linemen moving laterally to stretch the defense whether in mid- or outside zone and via pulls. For Mauch, knowing what Goedeke will do in certain alignments has fostered growth.
"If one guy is off, there will be leakage somewhere so being on the same page all the time, we are a lot more comfortable with each other now," described Mauch. "I have a good feel for how Luke is going to play over at right tackle, which helps me so much. I know exactly how much he will want on certain combos, what Luke's thought process is in different things, especially pass pro – where he will be setting – so, in the back of my mind, I always know not where to get beat, but where Luke is going to be to help myself in that aspect."
Mauch, the Bucs' second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of North Dakota State, started all 17 games at right guard. Throughout last season, he combined power and a nasty temperament with redirection skills in space to generate leverage. Mauch, an adept drive blocker, will help solidify the Buccaneers' offensive line in 2024 as the club strives for another division title and beyond.
