The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ superstar left tackle Tristan Wirfs suffered a low-grade MCL sprain in his right knee in Week 10, causing him to miss Week 12. Since then, he managed to play every snap in five of the last seven regular-season and postseason games, with the other two involving blowouts and mop-up duty. Wirfs’ efforts earned him his fourth Pro Bowl and second First-Team All-Pro selection.
Also Read: Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Officially Announced the Game Status of Elite All-Pro for Week 12
Tampa Bay Buccaneers LT missed spring practices with an injury
At some point during the offseason, Tristan Wirfs suffered a knee injury and was spotted wearing a significant brace around his right knee. As a result, he missed OTAs and mandatory minicamp. Todd Bowles was not overly concerned about Wirfs’ injury, describing it as “precautionary” and expecting him to be ready for the start of training camp.
“It’s precautionary. It’s the offseason,” Bowles said via Harbaugh. “He’ll be fine in training camp.”
Also Read: “He’ll Be Fine”: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4x Pro Bowler Out for Minicamp
Tampa Bay Buccaneers changed their tune
According to Rick Stroud of The Tampa Bay Times, Tristan Wirfs aggravated the right knee injury that caused him to miss one game in 2024. He underwent arthroscopic surgery, and it was determined that there was additional but minor damage to his knee. As Stroud points out, Wirfs will miss the start of the 2025 season and could open the year on the physically unable-to-perform list, missing at least the first four games.
The Bucs will start the season without All Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs, who underwent surgery on his right knee Tuesday and will likely miss at least the first couple games of the regular season. Wirfs aggravated a right knee injury in the offseaon that forced him to miss only…
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) July 9, 2025
Who replaces him?
The expectation is for Charlie Heck to take over as the starting left tackle for the time being. The former fourth-round pick from the 2020 NFL Draft spent the first four seasons with the Houston Texans before playing for the Arizona Cardinals and the San Francisco 49ers in 2024. Heck has started 23 career games throughout his five seasons in the NFL.
The Buccaneers do need to address their swing tackle depth, having lost Justin Skule to the Minnesota Vikings. Benjamin Chukwuma is an undrafted rookie, while Silas Dzansi, Garret Greenfield, and Lorenz Metz have yet to play a single snap in the NFL.
Here are the top free agent OTs
- Jedrick Wills Jr. (Expected to sit out most of 2025)
- George Fant
- Andrus Peat
- Geron Christian Sr.
- Chris Hubbard
- Conor McDermott
- Germain Ifedi
Also Read: Cleveland Browns: First-Round Pick Expected to Sit Out Most of 2025
