The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have one of the deepest and most comprehensive rosters in the NFL, and are rightfully considered one of the favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. The biggest area of concern for the Bucs — aside from Tom Brady’s mysterious absence from training camp which may or may not end anytime soon — is the offensive line, where they’ve gone through several changes this offseason and are now facing… injury issues.
Tampa saw star guard Ali Marpet retire this offseason at age 29. He saw guard Alex Cappa leave in free agency for a bigger deal with the Cincinnati Bengals. Earlier in training camp, he lost star center Ryan Jensen to a serious knee injury, the severity of which yet to be determined due to persistent swelling.
And on Thursday, Tampa received more bad news on the offensive front, as star right tackle Tristan Wirfs left practice with an oblique injury. According to The Athletic, Wirfs has a tense obliqueand there is no word yet on how long he will be sidelined.
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With Tampa’s season opener against the Dallas Cowboys scheduled for Sept. 11, Wirfs has just over three weeks to heal and prepare to face Demarcus Lawrence, who rushes mostly down the left side. from the Dallas defensive line. If he can’t prepare in time, the Bucs will start the season with only one of last season’s five offensive line starters still in place for the 2022 season.
It’s less than ideal against a Dallas defense that was one of the best in the NFL last season, and which includes not only Lawrence, but also Micah Parsons. Hopefully for the sake of Tampa, Wirfs’ injury isn’t serious and he can get back on the court as soon as possible.