BuccaneersFan.com • Player Spotlight • Tampa Bay No. 68
Current official portrait: Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Guard • Seventh NFL season
Experience across the interior
Ben Michael Bredeson
- Born
- February 20, 1998
- Hometown
- Hartland, Wisconsin
- Listed size
- 6 feet 5 inches • 315 pounds
- High school
- Arrowhead High School
- College
- University of Michigan • 2016–2019 seasons
- NFL Draft
- April 25, 2020 • Round 4 • Pick 143 • Baltimore
- Buccaneers
- 2024–present • No. 68
Profile sources: Buccaneers roster, Michigan biography, Ravens draft announcement and Michigan’s commencement program. Hartland is his listed hometown.
NFL figures stop after November 1, 2026 (Week 8), checked November 3. College figures cover his completed Michigan career. Sources: NFL game log, Buccaneers biography and Michigan record. See the NFL appearance-count note.
Ben Bredeson brought Tampa Bay experience from Baltimore and New York, along with the ability to handle different jobs inside an offensive line. His first Buccaneers season produced 17 starts at left guard and a new three-year agreement the following spring. The Krewe had gained a veteran whose work could help connect the men around him. His arrival in Tampa; the decision to keep him.
A guard’s work rewards a closer look. Follow the movement before a runner reaches the line, the contact that changes a defender’s path and the cooperation between neighboring blockers. No. 68’s story is built from those assignments, repeated across teams, seasons and positions.
Baltimore → New York → Tampa Bay
Three clubs, a growing role
2020 A fourth-round beginning in Baltimore.
The Ravens selected Bredeson 143rd overall on April 25, 2020. Their draft account emphasized his experience, competitiveness and potential to play both guard and center. His first NFL season began the transition from a Michigan captain to a young professional working for opportunities. Baltimore’s draft announcement.
2021–2023 More responsibility with the Giants.
Baltimore traded him to New York on August 31, 2021. Over three Giants seasons, his starting workload grew; by 2023, he had started 16 games and had experience at all three interior positions. That flexibility became part of his appeal when Tampa Bay looked for help in free agency. The trade; Tampa’s assessment of his experience.
2024–present Finding continuity with the Bucs.
Bredeson agreed to a one-year Tampa Bay contract on March 15, 2024, then a new three-year deal on March 10, 2025. He became part of a familiar starting group whose ability to work together mattered, even when injuries later required changes in the lineup. First agreement; three-year return; the line’s changing assignments.
November 1, 2026 • Week 8 • Raymond James Stadium
A win in the rain, built on the ground
A shutout at home
16–0
BUCCANEERS OVER FALCONS
November football.
A wet afternoon for the Krewe.
324 TEAM RUSHING YARDS
A Buccaneers single-game franchise record
Tampa Bay defeated Atlanta 16–0 in heavy rain, with the running game carrying the offense. The club’s next-day statistical review confirmed 324 rushing yards for the team, a franchise record. It was an afternoon that put the work of the backs and offensive line at the center of the game. Official game report; the record confirmed.
Bredeson made his eighth start of the season in that victory. For fans following a guard, a game like this offers plenty to observe: the timing of a block, the movement of the whole line and the runner’s response to the space ahead. His 2026 game log.
Hear from Bredeson after the win. The official After the Whistle episode looks back at the Falcons game and includes an interview with the Buccaneers guard. Listen to the team’s game-review audio →
Changing positions • Improving through practice
Useful wherever the interior needs him
Three games at center in 2025
When Tristan Wirfs was unavailable at the start of 2025, Graham Barton moved to left tackle and Bredeson handled center for the first three games. He returned to left guard in Week 4. The arrangement shows why experience at several positions can matter to the whole line. The club’s account of the adjustment; Bredeson’s season review.
His 2025 season ended after a knee injury against New Orleans. Tampa Bay placed him on injured reserve on December 9. By this page’s 2026 update, he had started all eight games of the new season. The roster move; current participation.
A practice opponent who helps him improve
During 2026 camp, Bredeson and defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson used their matchups to identify details that needed work. Robinson described conversations about setting too far outside and keeping the inside hand in a better position. They were competing through each rep while also helping one another prepare for different opponents. The August 7 practice feature.
That is a useful glimpse of preparation at this level. Familiar opponents can expose habits; the conversation afterward gives each player something specific to improve before the next game.
NFL regular season • 2020–2026
The NFL record, season by season
Through Week 8 of 2026, Bredeson had 81 regular-season appearances and 61 starts. His Tampa Bay portion was 36 appearances, all starts. The current season is still underway; preseason and playoff games are excluded here.
| Season | Team | G | GS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Baltimore Ravens | 10 | 0 |
| 2021 | New York Giants | 8 | 1 |
| 2022 | New York Giants | 11 | 8 |
| 2023 | New York Giants | 16 | 16 |
| 2024 | Tampa Bay | 17 | 17 |
| 2025 | Tampa Bay | 11 | 11 |
| 2026 — through Week 8 | Tampa Bay | 8 | 8 |
| Buccaneers subtotal | 2024–2026 W8 | 36 | 36 |
| NFL career through 2026 W8 | Three teams | 81 | 61 |
G = games played; GS = games started; LG = left guard; C = center. His 11 starts in 2025 comprised three at center and eight at left guard.
Source note, November 3: The annual summary and career feed still show five appearances and starts for 2026, with career totals of 78 and 58. The game log records an appearance and a start in each of eight games. This page uses those entries to update the totals to 81 games and 61 starts.
2026 game-by-game participation • through Week 8
| Week | Date | Opponent | Tampa Bay result | G | GS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Sep. 13 | @ Cincinnati | L 27–33 | 1 | 1 |
| Week 2 | Sep. 20 | Cleveland | L 19–23 | 1 | 1 |
| Week 3 | Sep. 27 | Minnesota | L 16–23 | 1 | 1 |
| Week 4 | Oct. 4 | Green Bay | L 14–17 | 1 | 1 |
| Week 5 | Oct. 8 | @ Dallas | W 24–16 | 1 | 1 |
| Week 6 | Oct. 18 | Pittsburgh | L 19–26 (OT) | 1 | 1 |
| Week 7 | Oct. 25 | @ Carolina | W 43–13 | 1 | 1 |
| Week 8 | Nov. 1 | Atlanta | W 16–0 | 1 | 1 |
| Through Week 8 | 2026 | 8 games | 3–5 record | 8 | 8 |
Scores show Tampa Bay first; @ indicates an away game and OT means overtime. The official log records appearances and starts, without specifying a position for each game.
Source: official Buccaneers game log, checked November 3. Tables scroll horizontally on small screens; keyboard users can focus a table region and use the arrow keys.
January football • New York and Tampa Bay
Three appearances on the playoff stage
Bredeson appeared in both Giants playoff games following the 2022 season, contributing in the left-guard rotation. His first postseason start came with Tampa Bay against Washington on January 12, 2025, when the Buccaneers lost 23–20. That game belongs to the 2024 NFL season. Giants playoff record; the New York line rotation; Tampa’s playoff game.
| NFL season | Game date | Team | Round / opponent | Team result | G | GS | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Jan. 15, 2023 | New York Giants | Wild Card / @ Minnesota | W 31–24 | 1 | 0 | LG rotation |
| 2022 | Jan. 21, 2023 | New York Giants | Divisional / @ Philadelphia | L 7–38 | 1 | 0 | LG rotation |
| 2024 | Jan. 12, 2025 | Tampa Bay | Wild Card / Washington | L 20–23 | 1 | 1 | Started at LG |
| NFL playoff career | Through 2025 | Giants / Buccaneers | 3 appearances | — | 3 | 1 | — |
Postseason total: three appearances, one start. He was on injured reserve for Baltimore’s 2020 postseason. Tampa Bay did not qualify in 2025, and the 2026 postseason had not begun. These games are separate from the regular-season totals.
Hartland → Ann Arbor
Arrowhead roots and a Michigan captain
Bredeson played at Arrowhead High School in Hartland, Wisconsin, helping the program win state championships in 2012 and 2013. He earned Wisconsin’s Gatorade Player of the Year recognition in 2015 before beginning his Michigan career. Buccaneers personal biography.
At Michigan, teammates elected him captain in 2018 and 2019. Across four seasons, he made 46 starts at left guard, building the experience that preceded his selection by Baltimore. Michigan’s draft announcement; college biography.
- 2019: Second-team All-America, Walter Camp Football Foundation.
- 2019: Third-team All-America, Associated Press.
- 2019: First-team All-Big Ten, coaches and media.
- 2017: Academic All-Big Ten.
These college distinctions are documented in Michigan’s official biography.
Michigan participation • 2016–2019
| Season | G | GS | Starting position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 13 | 8 | Left guard |
| 2017 | 12 | 12 | Left guard |
| 2018 | 13 | 13 | Left guard |
| 2019 | 13 | 13 | Left guard |
| Michigan career | 51 | 46 | 46 starts at left guard |
G = games played; GS = games started. All 46 starts were at left guard. Bredeson missed the Outback Bowl on January 1, 2018, through injury; that game concluded the 2017 season.
College appearance note: Michigan’s summary lists 50 games, but its annual accounts give 13, 12, 13 and 13, totaling 51. That total agrees with the Buccaneers biography. This table follows the annual Michigan accounts; the draft release confirms the missed bowl game.
Psychology and an academic distinction
Bredeson majored in psychology. Michigan’s winter commencement program, dated December 15, 2019, lists Ben Michael Bredeson among its Bachelor of Arts candidates. Together with his Academic All-Big Ten honor, that provides another part of his college story beyond the starting lineup. His field of study; the commencement program.
Family traditions • Time for the community
Letters home and Thanksgiving teamwork
A Mother’s Day tradition
A Ravens feature published in May 2020 described a family tradition: Ben and his brothers, Jack and Max, wrote Mother’s Day letters to their mother, Deb. She saved them, valuing the gratitude they expressed. Ben also credited her competitive nature, developed through retriever field trials, as an influence on his own approach. The Ravens’ family feature.
Turkey Time with the O-Line
On November 25, 2025, Bredeson joined teammates at Tampa Bay’s Turkey Time with the O-Line. The official gallery identifies him alongside Dan Feeney and Tristan Wirfs and documents the Thanksgiving event, including bags of meals ready for distribution. It is a concrete example of the line spending time together in service of the community. Official event photographs.
An experienced hand for the Krewe
Watch the work before the opening
Bredeson’s path brings together patience, versatility and the daily work of sharing a line with other players. The Atlanta afternoon gave the Krewe a memorable view of what a team can accomplish on the ground. On the next possession, follow No. 68 for a few snaps and watch how the play takes shape around him.
Sources & statistical notes
Updated November 3, 2026. NFL regular-season figures stop after November 1, Week 8. College and postseason records have separate totals.
- Profile and identity: Buccaneers roster, Michigan biography and commencement program.
- Team changes: Ravens draft, Giants trade, Tampa agreement and three-year return.
- Current season: game log, career feed, Atlanta report, rushing record and postgame audio.
- Preparation: position changes, practice work with Robinson and 2025 injured-reserve move.
- College and playoffs: Michigan draft release, Giants playoff record and Buccaneers playoff record.
- Beyond football: family feature and Turkey Time photographs.