Bucs Pro Bowl right tackle Tristan Wirfs had a season for the ages when it comes to pass protection. According to Pro Football Focus, Wirfs surrendered only five quarterback pressures out of 626 passing snaps. That equates to a 0.9% pressure rate, which was the lowest in the NFL, according to NFL on CBS.

That’s an insane stat for Wirfs, who was in his third NFL season, earning second-team All-Pro honors behind Philadelphia’s Lane Johnson.

Wirfs, who was by far the best offensive lineman in Tampa Bay last year, allowed just one QB hit and surrendered only two sacks in addition to the two hurries that comprised his five pressures. He earned a 89.1 pass protection grade and an 83.8 overall grade from PFF in 2022. Wirfs was the fourth-highest rated offensive tackle in pass pro last year behind Laremy Tunsil (91.7), Andrew Thomas (89.9) and Johnson (89.8).

By comparison, Johnson allowed nine pressures in 2022, but they were all hurries out of 551 pass pro snaps. Johnson, a 10-year veteran, did not give up a QB hit or a sack this year.

Wirfs Quickly Emerged As One Of NFL’s Great Tackles

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

Last year when Wirfs was a first-time Pro Bowler and a first-team All-Pro, he also surrendered just two sacks, but allowed 14 pressures, including two QB hits and 10 hurries. The former first-round pick out of Iowa did see a slight uptick in his penalties this year, as he committed a career-high four after getting just flagged three times in 2021.

Wirfs played in 14 games last year, missing three consecutive games after suffering an injured left ankle and knee in a 23-17 overtime loss at Cleveland.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a guy come in like that,” former offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich said of Wirfs. “Obviously, there’s been some great tackles in this league that I wasn’t around [for] so I haven’t been able to see everything, but he was this way when he walked through the door. I mean, he should be a three-time Pro Bowl guy when you really think about it. He was, his rookie year, probably the best tackle in the league, grade-wise.

“It just says a lot about who he is, what he’s about, how he approaches it. It’s not just skill with him – it’s the mental aspect, the work that he puts in every day, he’s a huge guy also. And [he’s] just really a great leader for us in that room, so it’s great to see him get what he deserves.”