The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will enter the season without superstar left tackle Tristan Wirfs, as he works his way back from a knee injury. According to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, the former first-round pick recently underwent surgery on his right knee and will likely miss the first few weeks of the regular season.
The #Bucs are expected to start the season without All-Pro LT Tristan Wirfs, who recentlyhad surgery on his right knee, per @NFLSTROUD. He’s likely to miss at least the first few games of the regular season. pic.twitter.com/8CqwbKANSs
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 9, 2025
Breaking: Tristan Wirfs To Miss Start of 2025 With Knee Injury
While Stroud’s report doesn’t give an exact timeline for recovery, the Buccaneers will struggle to get by without arguably their best offensive player. Selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Wirfs has been a top-10 tackle since entering the league and finished the 2024 season with an 82.5 PFF grade, the ninth-best mark out of 81 eligible players.
With Tristan Wirfs sidelined to injury, the Buccaneers will likely have an open competition for the left tackle job, with Charlie Heck having the best chance of winning the Week 1 position. Heck, a former fourth-round pick, has appeared in 50 games throughout his five-year career while making 23 starts, most of which came with the Houston Texans.
Wirfs originally began his career on the right side of the offensive line. Selected with the 14th-overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Iowa product immedaitely earned a starting job protecting first-year Buccaneer Tom Brady. With his help, the team made it to the playoffs and eventually defeated Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. Wirfs maintained his hold on the starting job, becoming one of the game’s best right tackles before switching to the left side following the depature of Donovan Smith.
Since entering the league, Tristan Wirfs has made four Pro Bowls and earned First-Team All-Pro honors on two separate occasions. He has started and appeared in 79 games.
Main Photo: Jim Dedmon – Imagn Images
