Buccaneers Urged To Sign $5.5 Million Super Bowl Champion OT

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are unexpectedly dealing with an injury that could change the trajectory of their season before it gets started after NFL All-Pro left offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs underwent knee surgery and will miss the start of the season.

With Wirfs possibly out for up to 4 games if he’s put on the PUP list to start the season, the backup option that now exists is journeyman Charlie Heck, who the Buccaneers signed to a 1-year, $1.57 million contract on March 13.

“It’s a big blow for the Bucs,” The Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud wrote on his official X account on July 9. “Wirfs protects the blind side of quarterback Baker Mayfield, one of his closest friends on the team. The Bucs signed 49ers free agent left tackle Charlie Heck, who is likely to replace Wirfs to start the season.”

The better option would be for the Buccaneers to move right offensive tackle Luke Goedeke from right tackle to left tackle and sign another offensive tackle to compete with Heck at the right tackle spot.

This late in the offseason, the pickings are slim, but there are still a few free agent offensive linemen out there who could help Tampa Bay. Specifically, they should former Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle and Super Bowl champion Jack Driscoll.

Driscoll’s Championship Experience Critical

In terms of bringing someone in from a winning environment onto a team that’s hoping to be a contender like the Buccaneers, you couldn’t do better than Driscoll.

Driscoll, 6-foot-5 and 312 pounds, started his college career at UMass before he transferred to Auburn and was a fourth round pick (No. 145 overall) in the 2020 NFL draft by the Eagles.

In 5 seasons with the Eagles, Driscoll made 18 starts and was on 2 teams that made it to the Super Bowl, although he was on the injured reserve for their Super Bowl LIX win over the Kansas City Chiefs on February 9 with an ankle injury.

Driscoll is also versatile — he started games at both guard and tackle throughout his time in Philly. Along with being versatile, Driscoll is cost effective. He has just $5.5 million in career earnings and the Buccaneers might come in with a 1-year, $1.3 million offer and see where things go from there.Dealing With Fallout From Wirfs’ Injury

The fallout from Wirfs’ injury could impact the entire NFC South Division in 2025.

“I feel like this is a big loss for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and could have some impact in the NFC South race,” The Ringer’s Steven Ruiz said on “The Ringer NFL Show” on July 9. “Because we know the margins for error in that division seem to be slim. It’s like one game separates first place and second place every year.”

Pro Football Focus had Wirfs as the No.2 rated offensive tackle in its preseason position rankings behind one of the players Driscoll backed up in 2024 — Philadelphia’s Jordan Mailata.

“There has been no better pass-blocking offensive tackle in the NFL in recent years than Wirfs,” PFF’s Zolton Buday wrote. “Not only did he permit zero sacks in 2024, but he also allowed pressure on just 1.9% of pass plays — the best rate among all offensive tackles. The gap between Wirfs and the second-place left tackle in pressure rate allowed — 1 percentage point — is the equivalent of the gap between the second- and sixth-ranked left tackles.”