TAMPA, Fla. — Tristan Wirfs is entering his fourth season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. During that time, he’s blossomed into one of the NFL’s best players at the right tackle position.
But this season, he’s making the switch to the higher-profile left tackle position.
“I have high expectations of myself,” Wirfs said. “I don’t want to let anybody else down.”
His teammates don’t think that’s possible.
“He’s still big as hell. Still 350 pounds,” Bucs outside linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka said. “He’s going to be alright. For him, it’s a mental thing.”
The two-time Pro Bowler and All-Pro had an idea a position change was coming the day after the season ended after a meeting with head coach Todd Bowles.
That door opened when the team cut longtime left tackle Donovan Smith and did not add a left tackle in the draft.
“It’s just that everything is backward,” Wirfs said. “Getting used to throwing my left hand instead of my right and opening up. My weight distribution. I used to keep my weight on my left leg. It’s all different; it’s so similar. You’re doing the same stuff. It’s all just flipped.”
He played some left tackle during his All-American season at Iowa in 2019. But now he’s using Tampa Bay’s voluntarily organized team activities to prepare himself to face some of the league’s top pass rushers.
“So far, pretty good,” Bowles said. “We’re out of pads. You got to get in pads so he can get the feel for it. His footwork is good. I like what we see over there so far.”
“I think the biggest thing is going to be my hands,” Wirfs said. “My right hand was my bread and butter. This one just kind of sits here. Now I got to wake it up.”
We still don’t know which quarterback Wirfs will be protecting, Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask. But there’s a bond forming between Wirfs and Mayfield.
“It came organically,” Wirfs said. “He asked me to go out to eat one day. I said, ‘Sounds good; you’re speaking my language.’ We’ve hung out a little bit. I got to meet his wife. We all went to dinner. We’ve gone to dinner, I think, every week. I love Baker. It’s been a short time. I know we’re going to get along fantastic.”
