Tristan Wirfs is still sitting near the top of the tackle mountain.
ESPN’s latest survey of league executives, coaches and scouts placed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers left tackle third among NFL tackles, behind only Penei Sewell of the Detroit Lions and Trent Williams of the San Francisco 49ers. That’s a drop from last year, when Wirfs was voted the No. 1 tackle, but it hardly reads like a slide out of elite company.
The dip came after a 2025 season that was interrupted by a knee injury and limited him to 12 games. The evaluators noticed the difference once he returned.
"Last year's No. 1 battled a knee injury that cost him five games. He's undoubtedly elite and one of the best size-and-agility athletes in the game. But evaluators saw uneven moments last season once he returned.
"When I saw Chase Young beating him off the edge pretty clearly, I was like, 'That's new,'" an NFL coordinator said.
Even with that, Wirfs still flashed the kind of dominance that keeps him in the conversation at the very top of the position. He posted the third-highest pass block win rate among tackles at 95.5%, and one NFC executive put it plainly:
"'He makes the very difficult look extremely easy,' an NFC exec said. 'There's probably another level he can still get to. Still so much untapped potential.'"
That’s the part that should matter most to Tampa Bay. Wirfs was drafted 13th overall in 2020 after the Buccaneers traded up with the San Francisco 49ers, and he has grown into one of the league’s premier players regardless of position. Pete Prisco of CBS Sports had him 22nd on his list of the top 100 NFL players for 2026, another reminder that his value goes well beyond the tackle spot.
He’s also been central to the Bucs’ long-term plan. Wirfs already helped the team win a Super Bowl, and he signed a five-year contract extension in 2024 to stay in Tampa Bay.
For a Buccaneers offensive line that should be among the NFL’s best in 2026, the foundation is obvious. Baker Mayfield’s blindside is protected by one of the game’s best, and after an injury-plagued 2025, Wirfs and the rest of Tampa’s front should be looking at a bounce-back year.
In Other News...
Buccaneers Line Just Got The Kind Of Praise Fans Didn't Expect
For a unit that spent much of 2025 dealing with moving parts, the Buccaneers offensive line is suddenly getting a lot more respect than many expected. Sharp Football Analysis slotted Tampa Bays front among the leagues best, a nod that says as much about the talent up front as it does about how well the group held together through all the disruption. Tristan Wirfs remains the anchor, and the rest of the projected core with Luke Goedeke, Graham Barton, Cody Mauch and Ben Bredeson gives the Bucs a foundation they can build around.
The bigger question now is whether that praise holds up once the season starts and the line is asked to stay healthy long enough to settle in. Tampa Bays offense has been at its best when the protection is clean and the run game has some balance, so the health of this group looms as one of the most important storylines on the roster. If the Buccaneers can keep their front intact, this could be one of the reasons the offense takes another step. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Fans Should File Away This Quarterback For Future Draft Talk
A quarterback to keep on the radar for later draft chatter is Drew Mestemaker, the Oklahoma State passer who is drawing attention as he heads into the 2026 season. For Buccaneers fans already thinking ahead to future quarterback discussions, he checks a lot of the early boxes that tend to get scouts interested, from arm talent to the kind of quick decision-making that can help a young passer settle in fast.
Mestemaker also brings mobility and the ability to work all levels of the field, which is part of why his stock could keep moving if the progress continues. The next step is the one that matters most for any rising quarterback: cleaner accuracy, more reps, and the kind of experience that turns promise into something NFL teams can trust by the end of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Tight End Enters Camp With His Future Suddenly At Stake
Payne Durham is heading into his fourth training camp with the Buccaneers in a very different spot than when he arrived. The tight end room is thin, which gives him a real chance to stay in the mix, but his role has been shrinking and the team has not gotten much offensive return from his presence as a blocker.
Durham will get his chance to answer those concerns in camp and preseason, where every rep matters for a player trying to hold onto a job. With Cade Otton, Ko Kieft and two rookies also in the picture, Tampa Bay has options at the position, and Durhams path forward depends on whether he can do enough in the coming weeks to keep himself relevant. [Read more 🡒]