There is a lot to like about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They have an excellent group of pass catchers, a consistent top ten defense and a quarterback on a very team friendly contract. However, none of these are the best individual thing about the Buccaneers.
The best thing about this team would be the guy that everyone is talking about. The one who is generating buzz from every fan base in the NFL. This would be super star left tackle Tristian Wirfs.
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The 2020 first round pick from Iowa is in the final year of his rookie contract. And while the team is working towards an extension, Wirfs has been sitting out of team drills during training camp. This has led to wild speculation about his future in Tampa Bay.
Every fan of every other team in the NFL is out there dreaming of a pathway to where Wirfs could somehow be traded to their team. You can see it all over social media and even among some media people. That’s because the Bucs have the best left tackle situation in the entire NFL.
Of course, Wirfs will soon sign an extension that makes him the highest paid offensive tackle in the NFL and these dreams will all be dashed. But watching so many clamor for Wirfs is a reminder of exactly what he is. That he’s potentially the best offensive tackle, maybe even the best offensive lineman, in the NFL over the next decade.
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The only thing that gives me pause to calling him the best offensive tackle in the league right now is the ageless wonder who’s playing in San Francisco. That is the 11 time pro bowler and 3 time All Pro Trent WIlliams. He remains the gold standard of offensive tackle play in the NFL.
At age 36, Williams seems to be only getting better. It’s worth noting that his 3 first team All Pro appearances have all come in the last 3 seasons. It’s hard not to call him the best in the game until he shows some faint indication of slowing down. However, after that I don’t believe there is a better tackle in the game than Wirfs.
Of course, there is debate on that. The likes of Penei Sewell and Christian Darrisaw are also in that conversation and are both incredibly good in their own right. However, I think Wirfs is better than either of these two.
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If I am comparing the three, Wirfs is the best pass blocker of this group and Sewell is the best run blocker, but also the worst pass blocker of the three. When you consider the gap in run blocking, I’d put Sewell well over Darrisaw because they are much closer to equal in terms of pass protection. I would even say the same when comparing Sewell and Wirfs, there is a bigger gap between Sewell and Wirfs as run blockers than there is between Wirfs and Sewell as pass blockers. However, there is another factor that I believe gives Wirfs the edge between these two.
Wirfs is a much cleaner player than Sewell in terms of penalties. In fact, Sewell had as many holding calls accepted against him than Wirfs has in his entire career. In all, Sewell has 21 career penalties accepted against him (9 holding and 10 false starts) while Wirfs only has 15 (4 holding and 10 false starts) despite him playing another full year than Sewell.
It’s also worth saying that there is more value in pass protection than there is run blocking. While both are obviously important, protecting the quarterback will always be the top priority. Wirfs is the best young tackle in football when it comes to that.
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This is the type of hair splitting that occurs when you are talking about the best of the best. These are the faces of the future when it comes to offensive tackles in the NFL and all are great. However, in my view, Wirfs is the best of the best.
This will soon be reflected in his contract. We have seen Sewell and then later on Darrisaw become the highest paid offensive tackle in the NFL this offseason. With training camp under way and the Buccaneers and Wirfs making progress towards a new deal, Wirfs will soon eclipse both of these two. That’s because he is the best young tackle in the game and if likely soon to be the very best in the NFL.
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