Greg Auman
NFC South Reporter
TAMPA — The competition for the Bucs’ starting left guard job will likely carry into training camp, but when the team lined up for its first OTA practice last week, the guy with the first crack at the job was veteran Sua Opeta, signed as a free agent after five years with the Eagles.
“He’s been a pleasant surprise,” coach Todd Bowles said after the team’s workout Tuesday. “He’s tough. He comes off the ball, he’s an excellent run blocker. You can’t really see the pass block until the pads come on, but right now, he’s tough, shows up every day, really gets off the ball.”
The Bucs want to upgrade their interior offensive line, and took a big step in using their first-round pick on center Graham Barton from Duke. But they’ll have a new starter at left guard as well, with veterans Matt Feiler and Aaron Stinnie gone.
“I think it’s an incredible opportunity,” the 6-foot-4, 315-pound Opeta said of competing to start with the Bucs. “I’ve worked really hard the past five years to get to the level of play I’m at now, and I feel like it’s definitely an open spot, and I’m ready to take it.”
Opeta, 27, is a story of persistence, joining the Eagles as an undrafted rookie in 2019 out of Weber State, getting cut five times before finally settling in as an every-week player last season. Obscured as a backup on one of the best lines in the NFL, Opeta had only four starts in his first four seasons in Philadelphia, then got a chance to prove himself last year, making six starts and playing 59% of the team’s offensive snaps.
“As far as a confidence booster, it was huge for me last year,” Opeta said. “I played over 500 snaps, whereas before, it’d be like two or three starts a year. To play week after week like that last year, it was a great opportunity, and I feel like I ran with it. That’s what I’m trying to do here.”
The Bucs signed another veteran in Ben Bredeson, who started 16 games for the Giants last…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/former-eagles-guard-sua-opeta-eager-grab-bucs-starting-job
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Publish date : 2024-05-28 19:31:26
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