It was a rough morning for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but that'll happen when bad news drops about your All-Pro right tackle.
After undergoing knee surgery, [Tristan Wirfs is expected to miss the start of the regular season](https://thepewterplank.com/buccaneers-get-nightmare-tristan-wirfs-injury-news-right-before-training-camp). He might even end up on the Physically Unable to Perform list, which would knock him out for the first four games of the season. It's never ideal to lose a guy like Wirfs, but the fact that the Bucs play both Houston and Philadelphia in that span [makes matters significantly worse](https://thepewterplank.com/tristan-wirfs-injury-doom-the-buccaneers-season-before-it-even-starts).
Optimistically, Wirfs only misses the opener and is able to return for that Week 2 game against the Texans. Pessimistically -- and more realistically -- the Bucs are going to have to find a way to replace one of the most important players on the team for at least four games.
That's easier said than done, but it could open up a path for a former first-rounder to redeem himself after a few rough seasons.
**Buccaneers should take a flier on Isaiah Wynn to replace Tristan Wirfs**
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Isaiah Wynn has had a pretty weird career in the NFL.
The New England Patriots took him No. 23 overall back in 2018 but various injuries have limited him to just 56 games over the last seven seasons. For anyone who isn't a math major, that's less than half the games -- not including the playoffs -- that Wynn could have played in during his career.
He also cratered hard after leaving the Patriots and signing with Miami in 2023, which was a trend that started in his final year with New England. Since 2022, Wynn hasn't posted a PFF grade higher than 55 with sub-50 grades in each of the last two seasons.
That doesn't sound very appealing, but that's not who the Bucs would be betting on.
Wynn's struggles over the last three seasons are alarming, but contextually, he wasn't in the best positions. The Patriots stunk in 2022 and despite a great season in 2023 the Dolphins didn't exactly move in the right direction last season.
Turn the clock back to the beginning of his time in New England for the guy Tampa Bay would be looking to rediscover as a replacement for Wirfs. Between 2019 and 2021, Wynn started the most games of his career and posted the highest PFF grades as well.
**Year**
**Games Started (Played)**
**PFF Grade**
2019
8 (8)
70.7
2020
10 (10)
**82.6**
2021
**15 (16)**
74.9
That's a little more like it.
Over the ensuing three seasons where his production fell off a cliff, Wynn played in 10 fewer total games and didn't go a year playing in more than seven games. Other factors were involved in his drop-off, but when healthy and playing in the right system he was fine -- and that's all the Bucs need.
Wirfs isn't out for the season, so Tampa Bay doesn't need to find someone to totally replace his spot on the line. Betting on Wynn would be a low-stakes gamble but one that plays into the team's chip-on-its-shoulder identity that could give a former first-round bust a chance to prove everyone wrong.
It wouldn't be the first time that happened over the last few years, and Wynn rediscovering what made him good with the Patriots would be on-brand for Tampa Bay being a home for misfit toys. There's also the Jason Licht-to-New England pipeline that needs to be considered, which is worth mentioning as well.
There's a chance the Bucs can get by fine without Wirfs with what they already have in-house. Charlie Heck is going to assume starting duties at training camp, but if the Bucs want to look externally for help they might have a perfect fit waiting to land in their lap.
**More Tampa Bay Buccaneers news and rumors**