Bucs' Tristan Wirfs thriving at left tackle despite early doubts

Just two months ago, Tristan Wirfs was somehow an uncertainty; one of the game's elite young right tackles making the transition to the left side, where he'd played only sparingly at Iowa.

The switch isn't always seamless, and even with an offseason focused on preparing for the move, the Pro Bowl tackle wasn't sure how he'd handle the adjustment and new challenge.

Fast-forward four games into the 2023 season and the Bucs are 3-1. Wirfs has deftly flipped sides as part of a new-look offensive line that has protected Baker Mayfield well in Tampa Bay's promising start.

"I'm feeling pretty good," said Wirfs, ranked by Pro Football Focus as the league's No. 3 tackle through five weeks. "Every day, I'm finding something I want to work on and focus on ... just picking something to get better at that day. I'll have days where I feel really good, and some days where I feel like I can't take a set. It's going to come and get to a point where I feel like I did the past couple of years. I'm feeling great right now."

Tampa Bay's offensive line has given up only four sacks, matching the Chiefs for the fewest in the league. They've done it without their starting center, as Ryan Jensen was lost to a lingering knee injury, with a rookie at right guard in Cody Mauch and another young starter in right tackle Luke Goedeke.

"We're such a close-knit group, and we lean on each other for everything," Wirfs said. "We're happy with where we're at now, but we know there's a ton of work to be done. We have a lot of room for improvement. We're close to last in yards per carry, so that's unacceptable for us. We've got to be better, and do what we can to help us win games."

Sunday brings a huge challenge for the offense, and the line specifically, as the Lions come to town with a defense that ranks sixth in yards allowed, with one of the league's top young pass-rushers in Aidan Hutchinson.

"He is a game-wrecker," coach Todd Bowles said Wednesday. "He has great instincts. Obviously, he was a great pass rusher coming out, but the instincts he has in the passing game and the few times they drop him, he's outstanding. He is a heck of a competitor. Luke and Tristan have their work cut out for them."

Wirfs and Hutchinson have faced off before — in 2019, Iowa went to Michigan and took a 10-3 loss, and while he didn't line up opposite Wirfs the entire game, Hutchinson split two sacks, had 2.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble in the Wolverines' win.

"Aidan Hutchinson's a great player," Wirfs said. "He's very high-energy, high-motor, everybody knows that. He's relentless. He loves getting to the quarterback. Me and Luke know what we're in for and know what we've got to do on Sunday."

Wirfs, 24, is in line for a huge contract extension — he will play under his fifth-year option in 2024, making about $18 million, but will be a priority for the Bucs to extend far beyond that, likely in the range of $25 million per year. He's the first offensive lineman in team history to earn first-team All-Pro honors and has already made two Pro Bowls. He isn't worried about PFF grades or any outside praise or criticism.

"I told myself, 'don't let other people dictate how you feel about how you play,'" Wirfs said. "As players, we all know how he did, if we played like crap or had an alright game. You know how you feel. I'm just trying to play to a level I'm happy about, coming off the field like I gave it my all, did it to the best of my ability with the best technique I can do. That's what I'm trying to do."

Wirfs is a team captain for the first time this year, joining Antoine Winfield as players still on their rookie contracts but already established and respected enough to be leaders on a team looking to continue a high level of play after Tom Brady's retirement. His self-doubt in changing positions is a function of him setting such a high standard for himself, but his teammates knew he would continue to set the standard at a new position.

"It's pretty awesome," center Robert Hainsey said. "I can remember, going back to the beginning of that conversation, and I was like, 'Tristan, if you do it, you're going to be very good at it. You've got to buy into it. It has to be 'This is what I'm going to do and I'm going to kick ass at it.' That's what he's done and what he'll continue to do. Tristan's incredibly gifted and so talented but works so hard. It's continually trying to improve his game. That's not easy to do."

Greg Auman is FOX Sports' NFC South reporter, covering the Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints. He is in his 10th season covering the Bucs and the NFL full-time, having spent time at the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.