Todd Bowles addresses criticisms of Bucs' handling of Tristan Wirfs injury

Shortly after news broke in early July that Tampa Bay Buccaneers All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs had surgery on his right knee, analysts like ESPN’s Booger McFarland criticized the team’s handling of the situation.

While speaking with reporters at training camp on Wednesday, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles addressed why Wirfs' surgery occurred so late in the offseason.

"It didn't heal," Bowles said about Wirfs trying to recover without going under the knife, per Buccaneers.com. "It had to be done. This is not a murder mystery where we need to find out what happened — it's about him getting better. He's in great spirits. I've kind of spoken on it already, and that's where I'm at."

ESPN's Jenna Laine noted Tuesday that Wirfs is on the active/physically unable to perform list and "likely" will miss the start of the regular season. He'll have to sit through at least the campaign's first four weeks if he remains on the reserve/PUP list through final roster cutdowns. 

Free-agency signing Charlie Heck appeared in nine games and made two starts while with the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers during the 2024 season. Bowles indicated that Heck will serve as Wirfs' replacement until further notice. 

NFL.com's Kevin Patra shared in a July 9th article that Wirfs "allowed zero sacks and just 13 QB pressures, per Pro Football Focus, the fewest of any OT in the NFL (minimum 600 snaps)" last season. 

"As we get Heck some reps, we want to see what he's really good at and what he's not," Bowles added. "Whoever comes behind him competing at that spot, we want to see exactly what we can and can't do — whether they're going to require help or less help, or a different type of run and pass options for us. Those things will determine themselves in training camp, but it definitely is hard to replace a Tristan."

As of Thursday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Buccaneers as the betting favorites at -110 odds to claim the NFC South division title for the upcoming season. Such forecasts suggest that Tampa Bay may need to explore outside options if it becomes clear that Wirfs will miss multiple games and Heck endures a rough summer while auditioning for a starting role.