The countdown to the Bucs’ 2026 season is on. Proper now, we’re:
76 days away from Bucs common season kickoff46 days away from Bucs preseason kickoff30 days away from Bucs coaching camp
Within the lead-up to coaching camp, Pewter Report’s Bailey Adams will probably be diving into storylines for 26 key figures who will probably be essential to the Bucs’ success in 2026.
Immediately, the collection continues with left deal with Tristan Wirfs.
26 For ‘26: Tristan Wirfs Bucs Storylines In 2026
Can Tristan Wirfs Be part of Even Extra Elite Firm Amongst Bucs Greats?
Tristan Wirfs might retire tomorrow (please don’t) and he’d have a no brainer case for the Bucs Ring of Honor. He’s already at that degree by way of simply six seasons, and he’s on a Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame trajectory. He’s a five-time Professional Bowler in six seasons. He earned First Workforce All-Professional honors at each proper and left deal with, turning into the primary participant in NFL historical past to perform that feat. He additionally has a Tremendous Bowl ring to his identify, incomes one in his rookie season whereas defending the best quarterback of all time, Tom Brady, at an elite degree.
So, how might there probably be even extra elite firm for Wirfs to affix with one other distinctive season in 2026? Imagine it or not, there’s one more degree, and nobody ought to guess in opposition to him reaching it.
Bucs LT Tristan Wirfs – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
If Wirfs reaches the Professional Bowl Video games but once more in 2026, it’ll be his sixth choice. That will give him greater than Buccaneer greats like Ronde Barber (Corridor of Famer and Bucs Ring of Honor member), John Lynch (Corridor of Famer and Ring of Honor member) and Hardy Nickerson (ought to be a Ring of Honor member). It could additionally pull Wirfs right into a tie with different greats like Lee Roy Selmon, Mike Alstott, Gerald McCoy and Mike Evans with six Professional Bowls every.
A sixth Professional Bowl would have Wirfs behind solely Warren Sapp (7) and Derrick Brooks (11) when it comes to the franchise’s all-time leaders in Professional Bowl choices. However there’s additionally the truth that one other choice for Tampa Bay’s huge left deal with in 2026 can be his sixth consecutive Professional Bowl choice. Evans by no means did that. The one ones in franchise historical past who’ve? Selmon, Alstott, McCoy, Sapp and Brooks.
It’s not simply the Professional Bowls, both. If Wirfs earns All-Professional honors for the third time in his profession, he would be part of Ronde Barber (3), Mike Alstott (3), Warren Sapp (4) and Derrick Brooks (5) as the one Bucs with greater than two All-Professional choices of their respective careers. So, as a lot as Wirfs has already established himself among the many franchise’s all-time greats by way of the primary six years of his profession, one other stellar marketing campaign in 12 months 7 might see him hit an excellent larger degree.
Does A Wholesome Tristan Wirfs Win The NFL’s Protector Of The 12 months Award?
When the NFL introduced in Could 2025 that it could be introducing a brand new end-of-season award to acknowledge the league’s finest offensive lineman on an annual foundation, it felt like it could solely be a matter of time earlier than Wirfs obtained the distinction. In reality, coming off one more Professional Bowl season in 2024 by which he didn’t permit a sack and solely gave up 13 pressures in 627 cross blocking alternatives, it felt like Wirfs can be one of many favorites to win the inaugural Protector of the 12 months Award in 2025.
Bucs RT Tristan Wirfs – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
Sadly, Wirfs suffered a setback in his quest to win the inaugural award, as he wound up having offseason knee surgical procedure. In consequence, he missed coaching camp, the preseason after which the beginning of the common season. He did solely miss the primary three video games of the season, however given the extent of offensive line expertise all through the league, the margins for such an honor as “league’s top offensive lineman” had been already razor skinny. The 2-time All-Professional later missed two extra video games, limiting him to 12 on the 12 months.
Simply by advantage of lacking 5 video games, it felt like Wirfs had gone from potential favourite to win Protector of the 12 months to having no shot at it. He nonetheless had an excellent season, although his two sacks and 23 pressures allowed over 441 cross blocking alternatives had been up from that ridiculous 2024 season (although that was seemingly unavoidable?). Regardless of these numbers leaping up ever so barely, Wirfs nonetheless earned an 84.9 cross block grade from Professional Soccer Focus, and paired with a 91.6 run blocking mark, completed with a 92.7 general grade.
Bears guard Joe Thuney in the end gained the inaugural Protector of the 12 months Award. However does a wholesome Wirfs get again within the combine and doubtlessly win it in 2026? You need to like his probabilities contemplating his monitor document. The five-time Professional Bowler and two-time All-Professional (with one All-Professional at proper deal with and one on the left) stays one of many best possible offensive linemen within the NFL, not simply one of many best possible tackles.
Wirfs will face stiff competitors for the award, after all. Fellow tackles Penei Sewell (Lions), Trent Williams (49ers), Garett Bolles (Broncos), Joe Alt (Chargers) and Jordan Mailata (Eagles) will all problem for it, and veteran deal with Lane Johnson (Eagles) might nonetheless be within the combine if wholesome. Chiefs heart Creed Humphrey, Broncos guard Quinn Meinerz, Colts guard Quenton Nelson and maybe Thuney himself will even warrant consideration.
For what it’s value, Wirfs is the second-favorite by betting odds proper now, sitting at +900 and trailing solely Sewell (+500).
What’s The Subsequent Particular Factor Tristan Wirfs Will Do In His Bucs Profession?
Annually, it looks like Tristan Wirfs does one thing extraordinary. As a rookie in 2020, he performed at a Professional Bowl degree whereas defending Tom Brady and was a giant motive why the Bucs gained Tremendous Bowl LV. In 2021, he made his first Professional Bowl. In 2022, he went back-to-back whereas permitting a career-low six complete pressures over 652 cross blocking alternatives.
In 2023, Wirfs made the swap from proper deal with to left deal with, and he did so comparatively seamlessly regardless of his personal considerations about it. He made a 3rd straight Professional Bowl that 12 months for his efforts. Then got here that 2024 season by which he didn’t permit a sack over 627 cross blocking alternatives, and final 12 months it was his career-best general and run blocking grades from PFF at 92.7 and 91.6, respectively. And he made a fifth straight Professional Bowl. Oh, and there was additionally his first profession landing catch.
Bucs LT Tristan Wirfs – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
So, what comes subsequent for Wirfs in his age-27 season? What can he even do that will shock anybody anymore?
The largest key can be for the massive man to remain wholesome after he missed a sport in 2024 after which missed 5 final 12 months. However primarily based on what we’ve seen from Wirfs on the sphere over these final six seasons, it feels truthful to count on extra of the identical dominance. And whereas it feels a bit loopy to count on dominance, that’s the usual Wirfs has set in the course of the begin of his illustrious profession.
You may solely think about the particular feat that No. 78 will accomplish in 12 months 7. Possibly it’s the sixth straight Professional Bowl that will put him in a gaggle with Lee Roy Selmon, Mike Alstott, Gerald McCoy, Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks as the one Bucs to make six in a row. Maybe it’s the third All-Professional that will have him with Ronde Barber, Mike Alstott, Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks as the one Tampa Bay gamers with greater than two. Maybe it’s a primary Protector of the 12 months Award.
Possibly it’s all three?
Dare to dream, Bucs followers. What if it’s a second Tremendous Bowl ring? No matter it winds up being, you possibly can count on that it’ll solely add to Tristan Wirfs’ legend in Tampa Bay, in addition to his Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame case.
Catch Up On Earlier Installments Of Bailey Adams’ 26 For ’26 Collection
Baker MayfieldBucky IrvingKenny GainwellChris Godwin Jr.Emeka EgbukaJalen McMillanCade Otton
