Buccaneers offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs spent much of the offseason recovering from an ankle injury, and when that finally healed, it didn’t take long for him to suffer an oblique strain in training camp. But Wirfs is now back at practice, and it appears that he’ll play Week One.
“It’s a little frustrating sometimes, just having, like, stupid stuff like that [oblique strain] or just annoying stuff,” Wirfs said, via the Tampa Bay Times. “But I’d rather make sure I’m good to go than come back and have it tweak again.”
Wirfs indicated that he took his time recovering from his latest injury to make sure it’s fully healed now, rather than trying to tough it out and practice through it and turn it into a “weekly thing” that affects him all year.
A first-team All-Pro last year, Wirfs is among the best offensive linemen in the NFL, and keeping him healthy is a big part of keeping Tom Brady healthy. The Bucs feel good about his ability to be healthy enough to play when the season starts against the Cowboys on September 11.