Tristan Wirfs No. 20
June 22nd, 2025
Can run block, too.
He just keeps getting better.
Joe always wondered why Tristan Wirfs is more known for his pass blocking than his run blocking. His pass blocking is elite but his run blocking has been overlooked. It was one thing that drove Joe crazy about former Bucs offensive coordinator Dave Canales’ playcalling.
Canales wanted to run the ball. But he wanted to run up the gut. Sadly, he mostly was running right to the left or right of Robert Hainsey. That 2023 season, Canales ran behind Wirfs less than any offensive lineman. Why the heck would you not want to run behind your stud left tackle? Didn’t make a lick of sense to Joe.
Joe brings this up because in prickly Pete Prisco’s Top-100 list, published each summer, his highest-ranked Bucs player is Wirfs at No. 20.
Why? In large part because Prisco likes how Wirfs run blocks.
Some would say Wirfs is the best left tackle in the game. He excels as a blind-side pass protector for Baker Mayfield and his run blocking is a big part of why the Bucs ran the ball better in 2024.
Joe hopes first-year Bucs playcaller Josh Grizzard doesn’t get too cute running the ball. While the Bucs have a strong offensive line, there is no harm in occasionally running behind that big hoss that wears No. 78.
It’s not complicated. A very large man who looks like he has a shot at the Pro Football Hall of Fame is an asset in run blocking.
June 22nd, 2025 at 12:39 am
Is Wirfs already the best Bucs OL in team history? He’s probably halfway to the HOF so far. Another 6-7 seasons or so will guarantee it, barring injury or completely falling off, or early retirement like Marpet.
June 22nd, 2025 at 1:18 am
Barton will probably be on this list at some point, too!
June 22nd, 2025 at 4:36 am
Loving Wirfs. Keeps getting stronger and stronger.
Agreed, BucYou and Tony. Barton will be on the list down the road too. He made some rookie mistakes and has been learning from them. Wirfs is halfway to HOF.
June 22nd, 2025 at 7:20 am
Hell of a human, as well as a player!
June 22nd, 2025 at 9:05 am
It’s a shame Paul Gruber played on all those awful teams until the very end of his career, he was a stud on the left side and often forgotten.
June 22nd, 2025 at 9:55 am
Still underrated. He’s the best left tackle in the NFL.
June 22nd, 2025 at 10:55 am
Ballaasher – if Gruber played for anyone else he’d be legendary. If he weren’t injured for the 1999 NFC championship game against the Rams, the Bucs would have been able to run the ball better and won that game in spite of inaccurate Burger King.
June 22nd, 2025 at 2:08 pm
It’s hard to believe how good this O-line is now and only improving based on how young they all are -we’re as good as any other team on the offensive line. We all know this game is a game of trenches now. So if we can improve that putrid pass Defense We may just be onto something this year Go Bucs!