Few players in the NFL can do what Tristan Wirfs does. He may be injured right now with an MCL sprain, but he’s playing through it, and to quote Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles, “Tristan on one leg is probably better than most on two legs.”
He’s been on two legs plenty, though, and he’s played at an elite level this year. That’s been recognized by the 33rd Team, who made their most recent All-Pro projections — and they have Wirfs as a First Team All-Pro for his efforts.
“According to Pro Football Focus, Tristan Wirfs has developed into one of the best left tackles in football and has allowed zero sacks in pass protection this year,” 33rd Team wrote in their projections.
Wirfs has indeed been quite impressive. He is in fact PFF’s highest-graded pass blocker, at 92.7, but he isn’t the highest-graded overall tackle on the year — that would go to the Philadelphia Eagles’ Jordan Mailata, who has a 94.9 overall grade to Wirfs’ 86.6. In fact, Wirfs is fifth in overall grade at tackle, behind names like Miami’s Terron Armstead, the Chargers’ Rashawn Slater and Detroit’s Penei Sewell.
It will likely be tough for Wirfs to make that First Team, given his competition, but he’s remained a stalwart at the line and has been a fantastic producer for Tampa Bay, as always. Wirfs signed an extension that makes him the highest-paid tackle in the NFL this offseason, and he’s certainly proved that worth on the field this year.