Tampa Bay Buccaneers All-Pro Injured

The hits keep coming for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive line. With Pro Bowl center Ryan Jensen already ailing from a knee injury that is expected to sideline him for much of the regular season, All-Pro Tristan Wirfs suffered an oblique injury in practice yesterday, according to the Athletic's Greg Auman:

No word on how long Tristan Wirfs might be sidelined, but he sustained a strained oblique in practice today during joint workouts with Titans.

— Greg Auman (@gregauman) August 19, 2022

Wirfs burst onto the scene as the first draft pick of the Tom Brady era in Tampa Bay. Drafted 13th overall in the 2020 NFL draft, Wirfs has been a steady, dominant presence on the right side, with Pro Football Focus even grading him as the third-best tackle in the league entering this season. He had started every game of his career before missing the Bucs crushing Divisional Round loss to the Los Angeles Rams in last year's playoffs.

Photo Credit: © Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Bucs offensive line has seen extensive turnover this season. Besides Jensen's injury, the team also lost Pro Bowl left guard Ali Marpet to retirement and starting right guard Alex Cappa to free agency. A trade for Pro Bowler Shaq Mason was expected to mitigate the damage, but if the Bucs want to make the most of 45-year-old Tom Brady, they'll need their new faces to gel quickly. The Bucs sported the second-best offensive line in the league last season, and are expected to start three new players this year. Wirfs out could mean a fourth.

Photo Credit: © Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports