The countdown to the Bucs’ 2026 season is on. Right now, we’re:
76 days away from Bucs regular season kickoff
46 days away from Bucs preseason kickoff
30 days away from Bucs training camp
In the lead-up to training camp, Pewter Report’s Bailey Adams will be diving into storylines for 26 key figures who will be crucial to the Bucs’ success in 2026.
Today, the series continues with left tackle Tristan Wirfs.
26 For ‘26: Tristan Wirfs Bucs Storylines In 2026
Can Tristan Wirfs Join Even More Elite Company Among Bucs Greats?
Tristan Wirfs could retire tomorrow (please don’t) and he’d have a no-brainer case for the Bucs Ring of Honor. He’s already at that level through just six seasons, and he’s on a Pro Football Hall of Fame trajectory. He’s a five-time Pro Bowler in six seasons. He earned First Team All-Pro honors at both right and left tackle, becoming the first player in NFL history to accomplish that feat. He also has a Super Bowl ring to his name, earning one in his rookie season while protecting the greatest quarterback of all time, Tom Brady, at an elite level.
So, how could there possibly be even more elite company for Wirfs to join with another exceptional season in 2026? Believe it or not, there’s yet another level, and no one should bet against him reaching it.
Bucs LT Tristan Wirfs – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
If Wirfs reaches the Pro Bowl Games yet again in 2026, it’ll be his sixth selection. That would give him more than Buccaneer greats like Ronde Barber (Hall of Famer and Bucs Ring of Honor member), John Lynch (Hall of Famer and Ring of Honor member) and Hardy Nickerson (should be a Ring of Honor member). It would also pull Wirfs into a tie with other greats like Lee Roy Selmon, Mike Alstott, Gerald McCoy and Mike Evans with six Pro Bowls each.
A sixth Pro Bowl would have Wirfs behind only Warren Sapp (7) and Derrick Brooks (11) in terms of the franchise’s all-time leaders in Pro Bowl selections. But there’s also the fact that another selection for Tampa Bay’s big left tackle in 2026 would be his sixth consecutive Pro Bowl selection. Evans never did that. The only ones in franchise history who have? Selmon, Alstott, McCoy, Sapp and Brooks.
It’s not just the Pro Bowls, either. If Wirfs earns All-Pro honors for the third time in his career, he would join Ronde Barber (3), Mike Alstott (3), Warren Sapp (4) and Derrick Brooks (5) as the only Bucs with more than two All-Pro selections in their respective careers. So, as much as Wirfs has already established himself among the franchise’s all-time greats through the first six years of his career, another stellar campaign in Year 7 could see him hit an even higher level.
Does A Healthy Tristan Wirfs Win The NFL’s Protector Of The Year Award?
When the NFL announced in May 2025 that it would be introducing a new end-of-season award to recognize the league’s best offensive lineman on an annual basis, it felt like it would only be a matter of time before Wirfs received the honor. In fact, coming off yet another Pro Bowl season in 2024 in which he didn’t allow a sack and only gave up 13 pressures in 627 pass blocking opportunities, it felt like Wirfs would be one of the favorites to win the inaugural Protector of the Year Award in 2025.
Bucs RT Tristan Wirfs – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
Unfortunately, Wirfs suffered a setback in his quest to win the inaugural award, as he wound up having offseason knee surgery. As a result, he missed training camp, the preseason and then the start of the regular season. He did only miss the first three games of the season, but given the level of offensive line talent throughout the league, the margins for such an honor as “league’s top offensive lineman” were already razor thin. The two-time All-Pro later missed two more games, limiting him to 12 on the year.
Just by virtue of missing five games, it felt like Wirfs had gone from potential favorite to win Protector of the Year to having no shot at it. He still had a very good season, though his two sacks and 23 pressures allowed over 441 pass blocking opportunities were up from that ridiculous 2024 season (though that was likely unavoidable?). Despite those numbers jumping up ever so slightly, Wirfs still earned an 84.9 pass block grade from Pro Football Focus, and paired with a 91.6 run blocking mark, finished with a 92.7 overall grade.
Bears guard Joe Thuney ultimately won the inaugural Protector of the Year Award. But does a healthy Wirfs get back in the mix and potentially win it in 2026? You have to like his chances considering his track record. The five-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro (with one All-Pro at right tackle and one on the left) remains one of the very best offensive linemen in the NFL, not just one of the very best tackles.
Wirfs will face stiff competition for the award, of course. Fellow tackles Penei Sewell (Lions), Trent Williams (49ers), Garett Bolles (Broncos), Joe Alt (Chargers) and Jordan Mailata (Eagles) will all challenge for it, and you know veteran tackle Lane Johnson (Eagles) could still be in the mix if healthy. Chiefs center Creed Humphrey, Broncos guard Quinn Meinerz, Colts guard Quenton Nelson and perhaps Thuney himself will also warrant consideration.
For what it’s worth, Wirfs is the second-favorite by betting odds right now, sitting at +900 and trailing only Sewell (+500).
What’s The Next Special Thing Tristan Wirfs Will Do In His Bucs Career?
Each year, it seems like Tristan Wirfs does something extraordinary. As a rookie in 2020, he played at a Pro Bowl level while protecting Tom Brady and was a big reason why the Bucs won Super Bowl LV. In 2021, he made his first Pro Bowl. In 2022, he went back-to-back while allowing a career-low six total pressures over 652 pass blocking opportunities.
In 2023, Wirfs made the switch from right tackle to left tackle, and he did so relatively seamlessly despite his own concerns about it. He made a third straight Pro Bowl that year for his efforts. Then came that 2024 season in which he didn’t allow a sack over 627 pass blocking opportunities, and last year it was his career-best overall and run blocking grades from PFF at 92.7 and 91.6, respectively. And he made a fifth straight Pro Bowl. Oh, and there was also his first career touchdown catch.
Bucs LT Tristan Wirfs – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
So, what comes next for Wirfs in his age-27 season? What can he even do that would surprise anyone anymore?
The biggest key would be for the big man to stay healthy after he missed a game in 2024 and then missed five last year. But based on what we’ve seen from Wirfs on the field over these last six seasons, it feels fair to expect more of the same dominance. And while it feels a bit crazy to expect dominance, that’s the standard Wirfs has set during the start of his illustrious career.
You can only imagine the special feat that No. 78 will accomplish in Year 7. Maybe it’s the sixth straight Pro Bowl that would put him in a group with Lee Roy Selmon, Mike Alstott, Gerald McCoy, Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks as the only Bucs to make six in a row. Perhaps it’s the third All-Pro that would have him with Ronde Barber, Mike Alstott, Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks as the only Tampa Bay players with more than two. Perhaps it’s a first Protector of the Year Award.
Maybe it’s all three?
Dare to dream, Bucs fans. What if it’s a second Super Bowl ring? Whatever it winds up being, you can expect that it’ll only add to Tristan Wirfs’ legend in Tampa Bay, as well as his Pro Football Hall of Fame case.
Catch Up On Previous Installments Of Bailey Adams’ 26 For ’26 Series
Baker Mayfield
Bucky Irving
Kenny Gainwell
Chris Godwin Jr.
Emeka Egbuka
Jalen McMillan
Cade Otton