JACKSONVILLE — All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs returned to full-team drills this week as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers reunited the same five-man offensive line that powered one of the NFL’s top offenses in 2024 — a unit that never played a single snap together last season due to injuries.
Wirfs, who missed roughly four weeks after sustaining a hamstring strain during a pre-training camp conditioning run, slid back into his spot next to left guard Ben Bredeson during joint practices with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The starting five — Wirfs (78), Bredeson (68), center Graham Barton (62), right guard Cody Mauch (69) and right tackle Luke Goedeke (77) — took the field together for the first time since the 2024 season.
“I feel great right now,” Wirfs said after practice. “It wasn’t how I was hoping to start camp; that was really frustrating. But it’s really nice to be back out here with the boys. The more reps we get together, the more comfortable we got and that non-verbal communication starts coming back. I know what Ben’s going to do, he knows what I’m going to do. We’re all just kind of one same page: Five guys seeing stuff through the same set of eyes.”
The group’s absence last season was devastating. In 2024, that offensive line helped Tampa Bay’s offense rank fourth in rushing yards per game and third in yards per carry while Baker Mayfield threw for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns. In 2025, Wirfs missed the first three games and two others in December, Mauch sustained a season-ending injury in Week Two, Bredeson landed on injured reserve, and Goedeke was sidelined for six weeks. The Buccaneers failed to capture a division title.
Head Coach Todd Bowles said Wirfs is close to full strength. “He got a few reps in yesterday and he’s definitely getting better,” Bowles said. “He’s on the mend and I think with another week he should be ready to go. When he’s your leader on the offensive line and he’s your best player on the offensive line, it definitely makes a difference.”
Wirfs said the reunited group is learning new Offensive Coordinator Zac Robinson’s scheme, which plans a more varied rushing attack. But the mission, he said, is straightforward. “I know we want to move the line of scrimmage and I know we want to keep ‘6’ (Mayfield) safe,” Wirfs said. “If we do that, I think we’re going to win some ball games.”
“That’s definitely the goal to be one of the top units in the NFL,” Wirfs said. “We want teams to turn on the tape and say, ‘Those are a bunch of bad-ass guys that finish plays.’ The goal is always the Super Bowl; I think that’s what it is for every team. But we ended with a pretty s****y taste in our mouth last year. I think everyone put in a lot of work. I think it’s going to be fun.”
Bowles indicated Wirfs should be fully ready within another week as the Buccaneers continue preparations for the 2026 regular season.