Tristan Wirfs Out: Buccaneers Overhaul O-Line Hours Before Kickoff vs. Falcons

Buccaneers flip the script without Tristan Wirfs

Hours before kickoff in Atlanta, Tampa Bay tore up the depth chart and rebuilt the left side of its offensive line. Instead of making a simple swap at left tackle, the Buccaneers shifted three positions at once after Tristan Wirfs was ruled out following right knee surgery.

General manager Jason Licht revealed the move on the team’s radio pregame show: a full-on reshuffle aimed at protecting Baker Mayfield’s blind side in a noisy road opener. It’s bold. It’s risky. And it tells you how central Wirfs is to everything Tampa Bay does up front.

Here’s how the Bucs lined up:

• Graham Barton: from center to left tackle
• Ben Bredeson: from left guard to center
• Michael Jordan: elevated from the practice squad to start at left guard

This is a philosophical choice as much as a personnel one. The straightforward option was there—play backup tackle Charlie Heck and keep continuity everywhere else. Instead, the staff went with a “best five” approach, betting that Barton’s footwork and college experience on the edge translate quickly, and that Bredeson can handle the mental load in the middle. Jordan, a veteran guard, fills the final gap.

Wirfs, an All-Pro anchor since moving to the left side, is expected to miss the first several games. Licht has been adamant about patience: “He’s a cornerstone player for us and we don’t want to put him out there before it’s too soon.” With the NFC South defense starting on the road against a rival that beat them twice by one score last season, that caution meets urgency in real time.

Why this gamble, and what it changes on Sunday

Start with Barton. Tampa Bay drafted him to be the future at center, but he wasn’t a stranger to tackle in college, where he spent years on the edge before moving inside. At left tackle, his quick feet and hand placement matter more than raw mass. His job tonight: limit speed around the arc and hold up against inside counters. Expect tight end help on obvious passing downs and backs chipping to his side early to settle him in.

Bredeson becomes the voice of the line. Centers are the traffic cops—identifying the front, setting protections, adjusting to motion and pressure. On the road, that gets harder. Silent counts, synchronized timing, and clean snaps matter more than usual, and communication with Mayfield on protection checks has to be airtight. Bredeson has worked at center in practice and preseason. Now he does it with live bullets flying.

Jordan’s task is different: be the glue. Guards live in tight quarters. They see twists, tackle-endo games, and interior blitzes first. If he anchors well against power and keeps the pocket from collapsing, Mayfield keeps his base and the playbook stays open. If the interior caves, everything shrinks—routes, reads, and confidence.

So why not the minimal-move fix? Coaches sometimes prefer continuity. But when your best option on the blind side isn’t your listed backup, the calculus shifts. Barton’s athletic profile at tackle may give Tampa Bay a higher ceiling than a pure plug-in replacement, even if the floor feels shakier in Week 1.

What changes for the offense? Expect a plan built on rhythm and angles:

• Quicker concepts early—slants, hitches, and screens—to get the ball out and slow the rush.
• Slide protections and chip help toward Barton on longer-developing plays.
• Rollouts and half-rolls to Mayfield’s right to change launch points.
• Run-game variety—outside zone to stretch, counters and draws to punish overpursuit.

All of that doubles as crowd control. Sustain a few drives, and the noise drops. That matters for snap timing and blitz pickup, especially with a new center.

Matchup-wise, Atlanta will test the left side with stunts and simulated pressures, trying to create hesitation in the new communication chain between Barton, Jordan, and Bredeson. Look for the Falcons to shift fronts, mug linebackers in the A-gaps, and force the Bucs to declare their protections. If Tampa Bay handles that early, they can regain balance and lean back into play-action, where Mayfield thrived last season.

There’s also the emotional layer. This roster built an identity around a tough, disciplined line that rarely beat itself. Losing Wirfs stings not just for the skill, but for the stability. Coaches talk about “scar-tissue games”—the ones that reveal how a group responds when the plan gets ripped up. This is one of those, in Week 1, against a team that slipped past them twice last year.

The long view matters, too. Wirfs’ timeline spans “several games,” not days. That means the Bucs aren’t just buying 60 minutes with this move—they’re building a bridge for September. If Barton settles at left tackle and Bredeson’s command grows, Tampa Bay could come out of this stretch with a deeper, more flexible unit. If not, they may revisit the plan, elevate another tackle, or adjust the mix week to week until their star returns.

For now, the job is simple to say and tough to do: keep Mayfield clean enough to run the offense. Keep the snap and protection calls crisp. Avoid the one disastrous series that flips field position and momentum. The Bucs are betting on adaptability, not just depth charts, to carry them through a tricky opener and the first chapter of life without Wirfs.