​The multi-time first-team All-Pro still has a handful of people to win over, it seems. There’s little doubt that Tampa Bay Buccaneers left tackle Tristan Wirfs ranks among the elite in the NFL, regardless of position. The team’s first-round pick in the 2020 draft quickly established himself as a cornerstone protector for Tom Brady during the Buccaneers’ run to a Super Bowl championship in his rookie season. That breakthrough year earned Wirfs first-team All-Pro honors on both the right and left sides, and it’s almost certain that he’ll be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame once his playing days are over.
Yet, despite all of his accomplishments, at least one NFL insider believes Wirfs still has untapped potential and a higher ceiling to reach. ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler surveyed executives, scouts, and coaches across the league to rank the top 10 players at each position. Wirfs finished third on the list, trailing only Detroit’s Penei Sewell and San Francisco’s Trent Williams. That ranking sits within a reasonable range for him; however, ESPN’s reveal also showed that Wirfs’ lowest vote total among those polled was eighth, a result some considered perplexing given his demonstrable impact.
There were lingering questions after Wirfs’s return from a knee injury that sidelined him for the opening weeks of the prior season. One NFL coordinator quoted by Fowler recalled watching Chase Young win the edge against Wirfs and noting that the matchup looked unfamiliar and concerning at first glance. An anonymous NFC executive even suggested Wirfs could still rise to another gear in his career, expressing a belief that he has “probably another level he can still get to” and describing Wirfs as someone who makes extremely difficult looks appear effortless, with substantial untapped potential remaining.
According to Pro Football Focus, Wirfs faced more ordinary pressures than some of his dominant peaks might have suggested last season, allowing 23 quarterback pressures over 474 pass-blocking snaps. That figure came in the context of a year when injuries—a knee issue and an oblique problem—impacted his performance. By contrast, in 2023 he allowed 24 pressures over 777 pass-blocking snaps. Despite those pressures, Wirfs still delivered a stellar career-best PFF offensive grade of 92.7 for the season, easily the highest on the Buccaneers’ roster, with the next-closest mark belonging to running back Rachaad White at 80.9. The combination of elite production and a health setback created a narrative where some doubters pressed Wirfs to prove his durability and continued dominance.
As Wirfs returns to full health this fall, expectations will once again center on whether he can remind everyone that he is among the best players in football. The degree of belief in his ceiling may vary, but the consensus remains that Wirfs is a premier offensive lineman capable of shaping an offense’s success, and he has already achieved levels of excellence that place him among the sport’s true stars.
This article originally appeared on A to Z Sports. For the complete story and more context, read “‘There’s probably another level he can still get to’ – Bucs’ Tristan Wirfs gets an inexplicable vote from NFL personnel in recent NFL ranking.” © 2026 A to Z Sports.