Tag: tristan wirfs

5 Buccaneers players to watch in Week 15 vs. Chargers

Week 15 features a matchup between two current playoff teams in the Chargers and Buccaneers.

The Chargers are 3-0 against the NFC South with a chance to make that 4-0 this weekend against the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay is first in the NFC South with a 7-6 record, so every game is crucial for their postseason chances.

The same can be said for the Chargers, who are 8-5 but far from a lock to make the playoffs. Without further ado, here are five Buccaneers players to watch this Sunday afternoon:

RB Bucky Irving

Irving has become the Buccaneers’ most dynamic tailback this season. The rookie is dealing with a back injury and is a question mark for Sunday, but if he plays, the Chargers will need to account for him. In his last three fully healthy games, Irving has combined for 50 carries, 312 rushing yards, 111 receiving yards, and three touchdowns.

TE Cade Otton

Otton has broken out in a big way this year and has become a go-to target for QB Baker Mayfield. The tight end already has career highs in catches (57) and receiving yards (576) while his four touchdowns are tied for the most in his three NFL seasons.

OT Tristan Wirfs

Now in his fifth NFL season, the Iowa product has become one of the best offensive tackles in all of football. In his first four seasons, he made three Pro Bowls and two All-Pro squads. He’s been the best pass-blocking tackle this season amongst 133 qualifying OTs according to Pro Football Focus. His matchup against the Chargers’ elite edge defenders will be crucial to who wins this game.

DT Vita Vea

Similar to Wirfs, Vea has become one of the best in the league at his respective position. The seventh-year defensive tackle is particularly effective rushing the quarterback, as he has 37 pressures and six sacks in 2024. Vea and fellow lineman Calijah Kancey could wreck havoc against the Chargers’ suspect interior offensive line.

DB Tykee Smith

Muchlike Irving, Smith is a major question mark for Sunday’s game. With multiple DBs out for the Buccaneers, Smith has stepped up recently. He’s become a big-time playmaker for Tampa Bay’s defense, as he has two interceptions, seven pass deflections, and three forced fumbles this season.

Several notable names miss practice for Bucs on injury report

Apart from the team being without All-Pro Antoine Winfield Jr., they also miss several other prominent names from Wednesday’s practice. 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had a constant problem this year when it comes to getting bit by the injury bug. The team seems to be dealing with it on a larger scale than we could have ever thought heading into Week 15 against the Chargers.

The team is without All-Pro Antoine Winfield Jr. but several other prominent names were listed as not practicing from Wednesday’s practice.

Ten players were listed in total, with some notable names, including Mike Edwards, Tristan Wirfs, Ben Bredeson, Mike Evans, and Bucky Irving. These are all starters and players who, if the team were without them, could be in trouble come Sunday against the Chargers.

All of these situations will be worth monitoring as the week progresses and more injury reports get published.

Two Bucs stars miss practice as team prepares for Raiders in Week 14

As we approach Sunday, the injury report shows two key starters to watch going into this critical game. 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday in their Week 14 matchup, and there is a lot on the line. With a win and loss by the Falcons, the Buccaneers could get their second-longest winning streak of the year and jump into the lead of the NFC South.

As we approach Sunday, the injury report shows two key starters to watch going into this critical game.

Mike Evans is on the injury report with a did not practice designation due to a hamstring and calf injury. Tristan Wirfs is also on the injury report with a foot and knee injury. There hasn’t been much discussion by Todd Bowles or either player about missing the game in Week 14.

Both players had these same injuries going into last week, so this could be a lighter workload to not overdo their injuries so they lead to a longer stint away from the team. We should know more by Friday’s injury report which we will have on Bucs Wire when it gets published

Is Tristan Wirfs playing today? Injury updates for Bucs OT

The Bucs’ starting tackle, with his knee injury, was on the team’s final injury report on Friday.

The Bucs’ starting tackle, with his knee injury, was on the team’s final injury report on Friday. The injury kept him out of last week’s win against the New York Giants, but his status for Week 13 against the Panthers remained unsure.

Tristan Wirfs injury update

Tristan Wirfs was not listed among the inactive players on the team’s official report before kickoff, indicating that Wirfs would be starting for the team. His return means Justin Skule goes back to being a backup offensive lineman for the team.

Baker Mayfield and the entire Bucs offense will be happy to see him return to the lineup. With the return of Wirfs this week and Mike Evans last week, the team will only be down one major offensive weapon: Chris Godwin.

Liam Coen will be able to be more aggressive with his playcalling as a result.

Bucs offensive tackle depth chart

  • Tristan Wirfs, LT
  • Justin Skule, LT
  • Luke Goedeke, RT

PFF puts a number on Tristan Wirfs’ impact on the Bucs pass game

Thanks to PFF, we can quantify just how good Tristan Wirfs is with the various things they can track.

Tristan Wirfs has been the best player on the Buccaneers since Tom Brady retired at the end of the 2022 season. Wirfs was drafted in the 2020 NFL Draft and immediately emerged as one of the best offensive tackles in the NFL.

Thanks to PFF, we can quantify just how good he is with the various things they can track.

Pro Football Focus credits Tristan Wirfs with the lowest pressure allowed of any offensive tackle in the NFL. They have him allowing pressures on just 1.6% of his pass-blocking reps on the year, the next closest being 1.8% from Lane Johnson on the Philadelphia Eagles.

Wirfs has long been a favorite of PFF graders, earning several high grades in his career. His career run-blocking grade is 67.7, and his pass-blocking grade is a whopping 92.5, which is rare for them to give out.

They also tracked over 3,518 pass-blocking snaps in his career and only have him on the hook for 12 sacks in his career.

Bucs’ Tristan Wirfs placed on the latest cover of Sports Illustrated

In the latest edition of Sports Illustrated, the Bucs offensive tackle is on the cover as the team discusses the emergence of athletic offensive linemen. 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be without Tristan Wirfs for a couple of weeks following his sprained MCL against the 49ers in Week 10. Despite his absence, he is making a special appearance from something he had been working on in weeks past.

In the latest edition of Sports Illustrated, the Bucs offensive tackle is on the cover as the team discusses the emergence of athletic offensive linemen.

Tristan Wirfs is on the cover alongside the New Orleans Saints’ Caesar Ruiz. They both are among the biggest but most athletic offensive linemen in the entire NFL. Wirfs has had a strong athletic profile going all the way back to high school, where he was a state champion wrestler and then became the anchor for the Iowa Hawkeyes in college.

That athletic profile and background led to him being one of the top prospects in the 2020 NFL Draft and eventually one of the best tackles in all of football.

 

Bucs confirm injury Tristan Wirfs sustained against the 49ers

On Monday, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles provided an update on the knee injury he sustained on Sunday against the 49ers.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had some tough injuries to battle through this year. The biggest are Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, but the latest to Tristan Wirfs may rival them.

On Monday, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles provided an update on the knee injury he sustained on Sunday against the 49ers.

“Yeah, he has a low-grade knee sprain and he’ll be week-to-week. We’ll see how he feels after the Bye.” When Bowles was asked if Justin Skule would continue to be his replacement along the offensive line, he answered, “Yes.”

In his five-year career, Wirfs has only missed four games out of 77. He has been an anchor for the Bucs’ offensive line, from Tom Brady to Baker Mayfield, and is on the path to being one of the best players in franchise history. It will be tough to manage without him, but the team and Justin Skule already have plenty of work to do this year to replace an offensive tackle.

Tristan Wirfs injury updates: Latest news on Bucs OT

Bucs left tackle Tristan Wirfs exited their game with the San Francisco 49ers with an apparent knee injury and is questionable to return

Buccaneers left tackle Tristan Wirfs exited their game with the San Francisco 49ers with an apparent knee injury and is questionable to return. A Niners defender was blocked into Wirfs’ knee while he was blocking defensive end Nick Bosa.

The Bucs training team assisted Wirfs off the field and saw him heading to the locker room. He was replaced by swing tackle Justin Skule, who started at right tackle earlier this season when Luke Goedeke was in the concussion protocol.

Wirfs is arguably the best player on Tampa Bay’s offense. According to Pro Football Focus, he has been locked down on the left side of the Bucs’ offensive line, allowing no sacks through nine games.

Justin Skule is a solid backup, but he faces one of the best edge rushers in the NFL in Bosa. Skule’s biggest struggles this season came against another superstar pass rusher, giving up five sacks to Aiden Hutchinson.

 

Bucs’ Tristan Wirfs excited to go against 49ers’ Nick Bosa

For one player, though, this game is exciting because of the level of competition the 49ers bring to it.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have lost three straight games against the 49ers with their last win being in 2018. That history is well within the minds of everyone inside the Bucs locker room.

For one player, though, this game is exciting because of the level of competition the 49ers bring to it.

Tristan Wirfs spoke to the media on Wednesday and hyped up going against All-Pro Nick Bosa saying, “[Nick] Bosa is great with his hands, insane get off, bends the edge really well, he’s got power, he stays low, so it’s all sorts of stuff you have to be ready for. That’s how it is every week, you know. This is the NFL. [There aren’t any] slaps around, so it’s going to be fun.”

Seeing two of the best players at opposing positions go at it is one of the best sights in the game of football. It is not often we get arguably the best tackle in football in Wirfs go against the best edge rusher in Bosa.

Sunday, we get that theater.

Baker Mayfield leads the NFL in an interesting stat heading into Week 6

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their offense, led by coordinator Liam Coen, have been fun to watch week to week in 2024.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their offense, led by coordinator Liam Coen, have been fun to watch week to week in 2024. They have had some highs in most weeks but the offensive line and running game have let things down at other times.

The one constant this season has been Baker Mayfield’s near MVP-level play for this Bucs’ offense. Because of that, he leads the NFL in a very interesting stat heading into Week 6 of the season.

PFF has gotten deeper stats from various areas since its inception. One of the areas they track Is how quarterbacks perform against the blitz, and the Bucs’ quarterback leads the NFL in performing against such situations.

That speaks to Mayfield’s ability to process what is coming his way and what Liam Coen is designing for plays. It is a two-way street for success between a quarterback and his coordinator.

It shows how well they have worked together through just six weeks together.