The banged-up Tampa Bay Buccaneers suffered yet another serious injury when All-Pro tackle Tristan Wirfs left Week 10’s matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. According to reports across the league, the 2020 first-round pick suffered a knee injury and will be week-to-week after the team’s bye in Week 11. This could be a devastating blow for a team with one of the league’s better offensive lines, as Wirfs is easily the best player of the bunch and his absence could lead to a chain reaction along the unit.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield has done a remarkable job of overcoming injuries to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, but this might be the straw that broke the camel’s back. At 4-6, the Buccaneers are fighting for their playoff lives and could go after someone like free agent D.J. Humphries as a short-term starter if this injury sidelines Tristan Wirfs for more than a game or two. However, if they want him, the team must sign him before the Kansas City Chiefs and New Orleans Saints have a chance to get him.
Buccaneers, Chiefs, Saints Could Sign D.J. Humphries After Tristan Wirfs Injury
The Kansas City Chiefs are good, but they’re not as unstoppable as their pristine 9-0 record suggests. Following yet another one-score victory over the Denver Broncos, the Chiefs must know that their 7-0 record on one-score games cannot last the entire season. While the DeAndre Hopkins trade takes care of their need at wide receiver, they could still use more help along the offensive line. While the Chiefs have the best interior offensive line in football, the tackle position is worrisome for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
Second-round pick Kingsley Suamataia is not ready for starting duties, leaving Wanya Morris as the only option at left tackle. The former third-round pick is doing the best he can, but his 56.4 PFF grade makes him the 62nd-best tackle out of 76 eligible players. Anyone who watched Kansas City’s Super Bowl loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers knows how important good tackle play can be, and someone like D.J. Humphries could probably be an upgrade for this offensive line. Humphries won’t need to be an All-Pro to stabilize this line, he’ll just need to be an adequate short-term fix.
Saints Still Trying
The New Orleans Saints are down, but they’re not mathematically out of the playoff picture. With Dennis Allen out of the picture, interim head coach Darren Rizzi wants to make his case for the full-time job. The former special teams coordinator is off to a good start, guiding the team to a 1-0 record under his watch following an upset victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Rizzi snapped the Saints seven-game losing streak, but they’ll need to improve the offensive line to capitalize on this positive momentum.
The Falcons comfortably control the NFC South with their 6-4 record, but the Tristan Wirfs injury gives the Saints a path to competing for the division. The 4-6 Buccaneers are only one game ahead of New Orleans, and stealing Humphries from Tampa Bay will only improve the Saints chances in the division. If the Falcons continue to slide, a .500 record might be enough to win this division, and New Orleans still has winnable games against the Browns, Giants, and Raiders on the schedule.
Main Photo: Nathan Ray Seebeck – USA Today Sports
