Tag: Ben Bredeson

Several notable names miss practice for Bucs on injury report

Apart from the team being without All-Pro Antoine Winfield Jr., they also miss several other prominent names from Wednesday’s practice. 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had a constant problem this year when it comes to getting bit by the injury bug. The team seems to be dealing with it on a larger scale than we could have ever thought heading into Week 15 against the Chargers.

The team is without All-Pro Antoine Winfield Jr. but several other prominent names were listed as not practicing from Wednesday’s practice.

Ten players were listed in total, with some notable names, including Mike Edwards, Tristan Wirfs, Ben Bredeson, Mike Evans, and Bucky Irving. These are all starters and players who, if the team were without them, could be in trouble come Sunday against the Chargers.

All of these situations will be worth monitoring as the week progresses and more injury reports get published.

Injury in Tampa Bay could have positive impact on Giants’ compensatory picks

A Tampa Bay Buccaneers injury could have a major impact on the New York Giants’ compensatory pick formula and the 2025 NFL draft.

Injuries in the NFL are common but learning of them is never good news. However, some do open the door for other players and, in turn, may impact the compensatory pick formula.

Such is the case down in Tampa Bay where Buccaneers guard Sua Opeta was lost for the season due to a torn ACL suffered during Tuesday’s practice.

Opeta had been competing with former New York Giants guard Ben Bredeson for the starting job. The pair had been rotating first-team reps, but if now appears to be Bredeson’s job to lose.

Although the Giants certainly didn’t want to see Opeta go down with an injury, they’re undoubtedly happy that Bredeson is likely to step into a starting role.

Bredeson is among the free agent players the Giants lost who will count toward the 2025 NFL draft compensatory pick formula. Prior to Opeta’s injury, they were projected to receive a seventh-round pick.

Should Bredeson assume that starting role and play a majority of Tampa Bay’s offensive snaps, that would bode well for the Giants, who could then see that seventh-round pick turned into a fourth-round pick.

The Giants currently have eight picks in 2025:

  • Round 1
  • Round 2
  • Round 3
  • Round 4
  • Round 5
  • Round 5 (via Seattle)
  • Round 7
  • Round 7 (via Buffalo)

Their sixth-round pick was traded to Buffalo in a swap that included linebacker Boogie Bashmam. The pick from Seattle was part of the trade for defensive lineman Leonard Williams.

Should Bredeson start the season, expect to see that additional fourth-round pick added to the assets listed above.

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Bucs guard Sua Opeta suffers knee injury

The Buccaneers’ starting left guard competition hits a speed bump as the veteran guard nurses a knee injury.

Buccaneers guard Sua Opeta left practice Tuesday with a knee injury via Buccaneers.com’s Scott Smith. The severity is not yet known.

Opeta entered training camp in competition with former New York Giants G Ben Bredeson for the starting left guard position. While it is unclear how much time Opeta may miss if any, he has little room for error. Bredeson has more starting experience and has taken the lion’s share of the starting reps this offseason.

Opeta also has to worry about losing ground to sixth-round pick Elijah Klein. The former UTEP Miner has been working with the second team and has the benefit of draft status to elevate him on the depth chart should Opeta’s injury linger.

Why the Giants need Ben Bredeson to play well in Tampa Bay

If Ben Bredeson plays well in Tampa Bay, the New York Giants could receive a fourth-round compensatory pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

The New York Giants could, potentially, receive a fourth-round compensatory pick in the 2025 NFL draft, according to Nick Korte of Over The Cap.

However, in Korte’s projection, he specifically notes that the fourth-round pick is entirely contingent on offensive lineman Ben Bredeson earning the starting job in Tampa Bay and playing enough snaps to qualify.

If Bredeson fails to play enough snaps, Korte projects the Giants would receive a seventh-round compensatory pick at the bottom of the draft.

The Giants have a 4th rounder on the board for Xavier McKinney leaving for Green Bay, but that is contingent on Ben Bredeson qualifying as a CFA. This could be complicated by the Bucs also drafting Graham Barton in the 1st round, should Barton displace Bredeson as a possible starter at guard, instead of Robert Hainsey at center. The Giants and their fans should be rooting for Bredeson to win a starting job. If Bredeson’s contract does not qualify, the 4th rounder gets demoted to a net value 7th rounder placed at the very bottom of the list.

It’s also important to remember that Over The Cap is just one projection method for compensatory picks and may not match the NFL’s highly secret formula.

Based on the knowledge at hand, Korte has the loss of Saquon Barkley being canceled out by the signing of offensive lineman Jon Runyan Jr.

It’s another reason the Giants should have traded Barkley at last season’s deadline.

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Giants’ interior offensive line was worse in 2023 than you realize

The New York Giants’ interior offensive line surrendered more sacks than the entire offensive line of 20 other NFL teams in 2023.

The New York Giants’ offensive line has been one of the league’s worst over the past decade and one of the main reasons they have sunk to the bottom of the NFL standings.

Many thought the team had taken care of the line by using major resources in the draft and in free agency in recent years but to little avail.

If anything, the line has gotten worse.

Last season, the Giants allowed 85 sacks, the second most in NFL history behind the 1986 Philadelphia Eagles (104) and 20 more than any other team allowed.

More specifically, their interior offensive line surrendered more sacks than the entire five-man unit of 20 NFL teams.

The Giants have an All-Pro left tackle in Andrew Thomas, but he missed seven games in the first half of the season due to a hamstring issue. Right tackle Evan Neal, another top-10 draft pick, was also hampered by injuries and has been largely inconsistent.

The Giants drafted a top center last year in John Michael Schmitz, but he injured his shoulder on a poorly executed version of the ‘tush push’ causing him to miss four games.

The Giants’ guards were also in flux. Ben Bredeson got the most playing time and injuries to others led them to pull veteran Justin Pugh “off the couch.”

The results showed as the Giants were clearly dominated in the offensive trenches last season. This year, they believe they’ve cauterized the wounds by signing veterans Jon Runyon Jr., and Jermaine Eluemunor to fill the guard roles.

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Giants’ Jason Pinnock among NFL leaders in performance-based pay

New York Giants safety Jason Pinnock was among the NFL leaders in performance-based pay for 2023.

New York Giants safety Jason Pinnock is among this year’s leaders in performance-based pay, amassing an additional $817, 224 in 2023.

Guard Ben Bredeson, now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after signing a free agent deal last month, earned $764,130 in performance-based pay.

According to NFL Communication: “Under the Performance-Based Pay program, a fund is created and used as a supplemental form of player compensation based upon a comparison of playing time to salary. Players become eligible to receive a bonus distribution in any regular season in which they play at least one official down. In general, players with higher playtime percentages and lower salaries benefit most from the pool.”

Bredeson led the Giants with 1.014 snaps on offense (91.85%) while Pinnock played on 89.63 percent of the defensive snaps.

To get a full rundown of how PBP works, visit the NFL Communications website.

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Buccaneers agree to terms with ex-Giants OL Ben Bredeson

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have agreed to terms with former New York Giants offensive lineman Ben Bredeson.

The New York Giants acquired offensive lineman Ben Bredeson in a 2021 trade with the Baltimore Ravens. He went on to start 24 games over the last two years, both at guard and at center, but he will no longer suit up in blue as he agreed to terms with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Friday.

The Giants’ offensive line was awful last season. Changes needed to happen along the line, the Giants have to strengthen the wall protecting Daniel Jones.

Was Bredeson the weakest link? Not remotely, but his loss is just the beginning. The entire line needs an overhaul and general manager Joe Schoen has made that a focus this offseason.

John Michael Schmitz will be around to play center, provided he can stay healthy, but the Giants will have to find additional resources to ensure Jones can remain under center.

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Bucs sign free agent OL Ben Bredeson to 1-year deal

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are signing free agent offensive lineman Ben Bredeson to a one-year contract

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are adding some depth to their offensive line, agreeing to a one-year contract with free agent guard Ben Bredeson, per multiple reports.

Bredeson’s deal with the Bucs is worth up to $3.5 million for the 2024 season, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

A fourth-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in the 2020 NFL draft, Bredeson started 16 games for the New York Giants last season.

The former Michigan Wolverine will likely compete for the starting job at left guard, though the Bucs are also expected to invest an early pick in this year’s draft at the position, as well. Either way, Bredeson gives them depth and starting experience at one of their biggest positions of need.

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Giants’ biggest needs headed into the offseason

The New York Giants are headed into a potentially turbulent offseason and these are their biggest needs — yes, including a QB decision.

The New York Giants finished 6-11 on the season and failed to follow up on their 2022 playoff performance leaving behind questions of whether or not they are headed in the right direction.

The Giants had breakdowns and failures in just about every unit and now must seriously evaluate what needs to be addressed and in what order.

Here are the Giants’ five biggest needs heading into the offseason.

Giants injury report: 7 players limited in practice

The New York Giants listed seven players as limited in practice on Thursday and 13 on the total report.

The New York Giants returned to the field on Thursday for their first full practice ahead of a Week 17 game against the Los Angeles Rams — one day removed from a walkthrough.

The injury report was lengthy to open the week and that trend continued 24 hours later.

While everyone practiced on at least a limited basis, several key players remained limited — seven in total with 13 players listed on the official injury report.

The Giants’ full Thursday injury report can be found below:

Did not participate: N/A

Limited participant: CB Detone Banks (shoulder), TE Lawrence Cager (groin), NT Dexter Lawrence (hamstring), DT A’Shawn Robinson (back), DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches (knee) P Jamie Gillan (groin/knee), OL Justin Pugh (elbow)

Full participant: RB Saquon Barkley (elbow), OL Ben Bredeson (quad), CB Adoree’ Jackson (ankle), WR Wan’Dale Robinson (quad), OL John Michael Schmitz (shoulder), TE Darren Waller (knee)

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