The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are heading into the season with some familiar problems and one very familiar solution. With Mike Evans and Lavonte David gone, the roster has holes to patch. But up front, Tristan Wirfs remains the kind of piece teams dream about building around.
That reality makes his placement in the NFL’s 2026 Top 100 stand out even more. Wirfs landed at No. 52, a number that feels low for a player who has been one of the league’s most reliable tackles and a stabilizing force for Tampa Bay.
Wirfs has been a constant while the Buccaneers have dealt with offensive line inconsistency, protecting Baker Mayfield’s blindside and doing it at an elite level. His move from right tackle to left tackle was clean and historic, too. He became the first player in NFL history to earn AP First-Team All-Pro honors at both right and left tackle.
The numbers from last season back up the reputation. Wirfs posted a 92.7 overall PFF grade, which ranked second among 89 qualified offensive tackles, according to PFF. His 84.9 pass-blocking grade and 91.6 run-blocking grade both landed in the top five at the position, and he gave up just two sacks.
Mayfield had praise ready after the play, saying his left tackle "did a good job" even though he had to put a little extra power on the throw to make sure it got there. He also joked that some of the other offensive linemen might not have been able to make the play or would have gotten too antsy trying.
Now Wirfs’ role stretches beyond protection. He’s the veteran voice in a new phase of Buccaneers football, and with the roster turning over, he is the most accomplished player on it. Alongside younger pieces like Graham Barton and Cody Mauch, he’s the standard-setter, the one showing how to play and how to carry yourself.
That broader value has not gone unnoticed. Jason Klingensmith recently pointed out that Pete Prisco of CBS Sports ranked Wirfs ninth among the top-20 true franchise players in the NFL.
Of the eight players ahead of him, seven were quarterbacks, with Houston Texans edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. the only non-QB, slotting in just ahead of Wirfs at No. 8.
In Other News...
Bucs Camp Depth Already Takes A Hit In Two Key Battles
Training camp depth has already taken a small but meaningful hit for Tampa Bay, with cornerback Chase Lucas and defensive tackle Haggai Ndubuisi both landing on the Active/Physically Unable To Perform List. The moves do not remove either player from the picture entirely, since both still count toward the 90-man roster and can be activated before the 53-man deadline after the preseason, but they do interrupt two roster battles the Bucs were hoping to sort out early.
Lucas had been part of a cornerback group that did not have much margin for error, while Ndubuisi was among the linemen trying to carve out a role in a crowded competition. The Buccaneers also waived safety JaQurious Conley with a non-football injury designation, another reminder that the back end of the roster is already being tested before the first preseason snaps have even started. [Read more 🡒]
CeeDee Lamb Just Added To The Emeka Egbuka Hype In Tampa
Emeka Egbuka is heading into a bigger spotlight in Tampa Bay, and the early buzz around him is not just about opportunity. With Mike Evans gone, the Buccaneers are preparing for Egbuka to take on a larger role in the offense after a rookie season that flashed real promise, with 938 receiving yards and six touchdowns before his production tailed off later in the year.
CeeDee Lamb added to the intrigue by giving Egbukas first-down celebration a strong endorsement, the kind of small but telling praise that tends to travel in receiver circles. For Tampa Bay, it is another reminder that Egbuka already has some league-wide respect, even as the next step is still about proving he can carry that momentum through a full season. [Read more 🡒]