The Bucs took a calculated risk this offseason when they released longtime left tackle Donovan Smith and decided to replace him by transitioning All-Pro right tackle Tristan Wirfs to the left side. Wirfs had only played a little bit of left tackle during his college career at Iowa before blossoming into one of the NFL’s best right tackles from 2020-2022. But his size and elite athleticism gave Tampa Bay confidence that he could seamlessly make the switch from the right side to the left.

So far, so good through four games.

Actually, scratch that.

So far, so great through four games.

Tristan Wirfs Is Protecting The QB As Well As Any Tackle In The NFL

It’s only been one quarter of the 2023 season and there’s plenty of ball left to be played, but Tristan Wirfs has taken to the Bucs’ left tackle role like a duck takes to water. His run blocking looks to be right on par with the level of performance he put up on the right side. And in terms of pass protection, he’s been just as good – if not even better – as he was over the last three seasons.

Just take his performance in Week 4 against New Orleans as an example:

Tristan Wirfs in pass protection vs the Saints

🔺 39 pass-blocking snaps
🔺 0 sacks allowed
🔺 0 pressures allowed pic.twitter.com/ph2YLk84O8

— PFF TB Buccaneers (@PFF_Buccaneers) October 3, 2023

It wasn’t just Week 4, either. He had a Pro Football Focus grade of 81.8 – the highest of any Buc – in a Week 3 loss to the Eagles. He had a solid 66.5 grade in Week 2 and his Week 1 debut against the Vikings saw him post a 78.6 grade – the second-highest of anyone on Tampa Bay’s offense. For the season, he has an 83.0 grade. That includes an 88.4 pass blocking mark, as Wirfs has allowed just two pressures in 149 pass blocking snaps this season.

Bucs LG Matt Feiler and LT Tristan Wirfs – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

It’s remarkably difficult to make such a big change from one side to the other. Wirfs talked about that this summer and later opened up about meeting with the team’s psychologist, Dr. Joe Carella, about his struggles with the mental side of making the move from the right side to the left.

“Everything’s backward, getting control with my left hand instead of my right and not throwing up my right and opening it up,” Wirfs said in June. “My weight distribution – I always used to keep my weight in my left leg, but now I keep it in my right. It’s all different; it’s so similar, you’re doing the same stuff, but it’s all just flipped.

“Just getting as many reps as I can with [offensive line] Coach Joe [Gilbert] just to keep building. I had thousands of reps on the right side, and now going in as a newborn baby on the left.”

There was little concern – internally among the Bucs’ brass and externally among media and fans – about Wirfs’ ability to make the switch. But there had to be some expectation that it would take time. After all, the 2020 first-round pick was elite at right tackle and had grown into one of the game’s best over the last three years. It would’ve been unrealistic to assume that he could step right in on the left side and be elite right away.

But here we are, as Wirfs is certainly staking a claim to retaining the “elite” tag even after going from one side of the line to the other.

As Bucs Eye Future, Tristan Wirfs Is Setting Himself Up For A Big Pay Day

Bucs LT Tristan Wirfs – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

After his first three seasons in the NFL, Tristan Wirfs had already set himself up for a big payday beyond his fifth-year option year in 2024. He stepped right in and shored up the right tackle position as a rookie in 2020, playing a major part in a Bucs offensive line that helped lead the team to a Lombardi Trophy.

After earning a ring in year one, year two saw the former Iowa Hawkeye make his first Pro Bowl and earn his first All-Pro nod. And last year, he made his second Pro Bowl in as many years. There was no doubt that he had solidified himself as a building block for Tampa Bay’s future.

Now? Given that he’s made the switch to left tackle and already proven that he could do so successfully, Wirfs is cementing himself as the team’s left tackle of the future. It’s easy to forget that he’s only 24 years old. And because of how much the left tackle position is valued, he’s going to come with a hefty price tag.

If he was already going to cash in as the Bucs’ long-term right tackle, his value as their long-term left tackle is going to jump even more.

Wirfs will deserve the pay day he gets, of course. He’ll be a top priority for the Bucs when the time comes, and rightfully so. But for now, after 3-1 Tampa Bay rests up during its bye week in preparation for a long the rest of the season, it’ll be fun to just continue watching him go to work and dominate – new position and all.