Tristan Wirfs Back To Being The Best?

UPDATED: One reason — it wasn’t the main reason — that “this Joe” was not down with the Bucs flipping Tristan Wirfs from right tackle to left last season was Wirfs’ legacy.

Joe believed Wirfs was on a Hall of Fame trajectory. He was that dominant at right tackle, head and shoulders better than any other right tackle. So had he remained there, Wirfs was damn near shoo-in for a Hall of Fame bust in Canton.

Alas, the Bucs did move him to left tackle. He was good, don’t get Joe wrong. But Joe didn’t think he fully owned people like he did at right tackle.

Did that change late last year?

If you believe the numbers from the PFF tribe — not their dumb grades, but their stats — Wirfs turned in a dominant postseason.

Per the tribe, Wirfs didn’t allow one defender to get anywhere near Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield in two playoff games. And it wasn’t like Wirfs was facing complete jokes. The Philadelphia defensive front was damn stout. The Lions pass rush and pass defense was subpar but not embarrassing.

And yet neither team did anything against Wirfs, if you believe the tribe. Not a thing at all. Wirfs just owned people.

Was that a sign Wirfs figured out left tackle and was back to being his brick wall standard that he set at right tackle?

Tristan Wirfs didn't allow a single sack, hit, or pressure across both playoff games 🤯 pic.twitter.com/mskVssEgL8

— PFF TB Buccaneers (@PFF_Buccaneers) January 23, 2024