Luke Petitgout: Petitgout had ACL surgery in October that is supposed to take about five months to heal, so he should be getting back up to full strength pretty soon. He was doing all right for the games he played in, but that was barely four. He was also injured off and on during training camp last season. Jon Gruden likes Petitgout, but he won't be guaranteed anything in 2008, including a roster spot. He won't get cut before camp, but I would expect Donald Penn to push him hard and give Gruden something to think about, especially considering their respective salaries.

Donald Penn: He came and filled in for Petitgout better than anyone thought he would. Penn wasn't even on my radar during the 2007 training camp. He quietly had good days against guys like John Abraham, Will Smith, Charles Grant and Bertrand Berry. Penn's biggest flaw seems to be against a speed rush, but he consistently played at a high level all season. The Bucs have yet to tender Penn a restricted free agent offer, and I have no idea why they wouldn't. I don't see any reason why Penn shouldn't go into camp as the starter.

Arron Sears: Sears's obvious talent is in pulling for the run. He paved the way for several key Earnest Graham runs and showed impressive speed for a man his size. Sears was inconsistent in pass blocking, though. Some games were great, some were awful. He ended the season on a bad note since he was playing injured and a poor game against the Giants, but that shouldn't diminish the fact that he had an impressive rookie season. Unless the team signs some superstud guard in free agency, Sears should easily be the starter at left guard in 2008.

Anthony Davis: Davis went from being the starting left tackle in 2006 to only being active for nine games in 2007. He couldn't beat Donald Penn out for the backup left tackle spot. He has experience at both tackle and guard, but hasn't really excelled at either, and it looks like the competition is closing in on him. He may be a backup again next season, but that's about it.

John Wade: Wade is a free agent at the end of the month and won't be back with the Bucs. There's just too much room for improvement. He's great at line adjustments, but just isn't physical enough anymore.

Matt Lehr: Lehr is also done with his contract and the Bucs will let him test the market. If he doesn't get signed by anyone else, there's a chance he comes back because of his ability to be a swing man between center and guard. But as a center, he needs to work on defense recognition and line adjustments. Is it possible to put both Wade and Lehr in a microwave and melt the two of them together? Because that would be a really good center.

Dan Buenning: Buenning will probably be given the chance to compete at center, especially since the two guys above him are going to be on the market. He was inactive for every game in 2007 because of his knee, but coaches said he could have played in an emergency. Bill Muir has a lot of confidence in him, so that will get him in the door. But Jon Gruden doesn't tolerate bad snaps, so if his lack of experience at the position causes him to misfire a couple times, I have no doubt Gruden will move on to the next guy.

Davin Joseph: Joseph improved last season and is part of what Jon Gruden considers his offensive line's strength for years to come.

Jeremy Trueblood: The other half. Trueblood sometimes gets inexplicably beat around the edge or makes an infuriating penalty, but he is exactly what the team needs in their offensive tackles. He will only get better.

Chris Denman: He was on injured reserve for the entire year. He made no noise in training camp last year, but may stick around for this year's camp just because he's been through it once. I don't see him lasting too long, though.

Dennis Roland: I honestly thought this guy was cut in January, but he's still on the roster today. I'm a little scared because he may be a ghost.

Brian Johnson: Signed to a future contract and will be used as a tackling dummy for Chris Hovan to run over. Has the same name as the lead singer of AC/DC, so maybe he can parlay that into something.

Last year I thought Sean Mahan would still be around because Bill Muir wouldn't have the heart to let him go. And I've never been happier to be wrong.

There are a couple linemen due to hit free agency that could be pretty good. Max Starks (Pittsburgh) is a right tackle that could make the transition to the left side and give Penn something to think about. Starks will generate a lot of interest and his price may be too high, but if he's still lingering around free agency at the end of March, he may be willing to take less money. A lot of people are also talking about Alan Faneca (Pittsburgh) being a Buccaneer target. Guards make a shitload of money; centers don't. The Bucs have their starting guards in place but need a center, so unless they're willing to completely re-define the market value of all centers everywhere, I don't expect the team to go after him. I really like Jeff Faine (New Orleans) as a center and think he's probably got the most value in terms of what the team could get him for and the stability he would provide at the position. Jeremy Newberry is still set to hit free agency, but buzz about him has dropped to almost nothing. I'm not sure what happened, but I'll stick to my original opinion that he would be a good fit.

Cody Wallace (Texas A&M) should still be available in the middle to late rounds and would be a good project at center in that spot. If the Bucs are looking to add their franchise left tackle and use their first round pick for that spot, Chris Williams (Vanderbilt) might still be available at #20. He excels in pass protection which seems to be where everyone else is falling short. He's got the intangibles you need for that position and can be coached in the techniques where he is lacking. If they're looking for a project and want to wait until the middle rounds for a tackle, they could take a look at Barry Richardson (Clemson) who is a terrific athlete and a good pass blocker, but is prone to mistakes. He's also been known to give up on a play after he's been overpowered. He has a lot of potential, though, with the right coaching.