July 9 (UPI) -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs underwent right knee surgery this week and is expected to miss the start of the 2025 NFL season, a league source told UPI on Wednesday.
Wirfs, 26, missed just one start over the last two seasons. The No. 13 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft was a Pro Bowl selection each of the last four years. He is a two-time first-team All-Pro.
He could be headed for the physically unable to perform list to start the 2025-26 campaign, which would trigger an automatic absence of at least four games.
Pro Football Focus gave Wirfs fourth-best offensive rating among offensive tackles who were in for at least 80% of 1,168 snaps -- the most among players at the position -- last season. He received the top pass blocking grade at the position.
Wirfs received the fifth-best offensive rating among tackles and third-best pass blocking grade in 2023. He was PFF's top-rated tackle in 2021.
Charlie Heck, who joined the Buccaneers as an off-season free agent, is expected to fill in for Wirfs opposite starting right tackle Luke Goedeke. Silas Dzansi, Benjamin Chukwuma, Garret Greenfield and Lorenz Metz are among the Buccaneers' other tackles.
Buccaneers rookies are set to report to training camp July 21, with veterans reporting a day later. The Buccaneers will host the Tennessee Titans in their first preseason game Aug. 9 in Tampa, Fla.
Their first four respective regular-season games will be against the Atlanta Falcons, Houston Texans, New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles.