You might be accustomed to media types trying to oversell what’s “great” or “good” or “bad” news to you at seemingly every turn … believe this when we tell you this most certainly falls under the “great news” category when it comes to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Actually, what would be considered one step better than great?
That’s what the level of NFL All-Pro offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs returning to practice ahead of a Week 18 regular season finale against the Carolina Panthers certainly feels like.
“Bucs LT Tristan Wirfs has returned to practice after missing Sunday’s game at Miami with a toe injury,” Tampa Bay Times NFL reporter Rick Stroud wrote on X on Tuesday, December 30.
While the finale against the Panthers is no longer a Winner Take All game for the Buccaneers — they need to win and have the Atlanta Falcons beat the New Orleans Saints to make the NFC Playoffs — having a player like Wirfs back in the lineup could be the difference between a sixth consecutive postseason or the season being over.
Wirfs also might not be the only Buccaneers trying to heal up for Week 18.
“It’s walkthrough, so very hard to gauge who is participating, but Haason Reddick and Tristan Wirfs are both doing their drills with their position groups, so that’s good news,” Bucs GameDay’s River Wells wrote on X. “Jamel Dean was with the DBs, who weren’t doing much — hard to tell there.”
Wirfs Has Dealt With Injuries All Season
Wirfs, 6-foot-5 and 320 pounds, was selected to his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl in 2025 despite missing 5 games dues to injuries, including the first 3 games due to preseason knee surgery.
The first player in NFL history to earn NFL All-Pro honors at both right offensive tackle and left offensive tackle, Wirfs is also the highest paid offensive lineman in NFL history thanks to a 5-year, $140.6 million contract he signed in August 2024.
The Buccaneers are in peril of missing the playoffs for the first time since they selected Wirfs in the first round (No. 13 overall) of the 2020 NFL draft and he helped lead them to a Super Bowl win as a rookie.
Tampa Bay has lost 7 of its last 8 games and is 7-9 headed into Week 18.
Frustrations Beginning to Spill Over for Bucs
Embattled Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles had to address an incident between Wirfs and second year running back Bucky Irving during the loss to the Dolphins in Week 17.
In a video that went viral, Wirfs appeared to have to separate Irving from yelling at the offensive linemen.
“Uh Oh: Bucs star RB Bucky Irving went OFF on his offensive lineman on the sideline during yesterday’s game,” NFL influencer Dov Kleiman wrote on X with a video of the incident. “Bucky had 19 total rushing yards as his o-line was brutal. Tampa Bay has been falling apart in recent weeks.”
Bowles tried to downplay the incident.
“Things are not splintering from within,” Bowles told ESPN’s Jenna Laine. “When you lose, players get frustrated but they still work together and are very close.”
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