The Houston Texans are prepping for the 2025 season with training camp starting on July 22 at Houston Methodist Training Center.
They made a flurry of additions on both sides of the ball as they look to take a leap in 2025. Houston opens up the season on the road against the Atlanta Falcons and also travels to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2 on Monday Night Football.
Even though we are in July, the Texans already have already received a massive advantage ahead of that MNF matchup.
Buccaneers All-Pro LT Tristan Wirfs recently underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, as @jjones9 reported. Wirfs likely will open the regular season on the Physically Unable to Perform list and miss time to start the season. Wirfs had lingering soreness in his right…
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 9, 2025
Tristan Wirfs to Miss Week 2 Contest vs. Texans
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Tampa Bay is expected to begin the season with All-Pro LT Tristan Wirfs on the sideline. He recently had surgery on his right wrist and is slated to hit the PUP list, which would knock him out of the first four games of the year.
That's a massive blow to Tampa Bay's offensive line, as Wirfs is one of the best players at his position. The 26-year-old already has four Pro Bowls, two First-Team All-Pros, and one Second-Team All-Pro selection under his belt.
Last season for Tampa Bay, he had an overall grade of 82.8 (9th among 140 graded tackles) and a 93.7 pass-blocking grade (1st among 140 graded tackles) per PFF. He didn't allow a single sack, with one hit allowed.
Wirfs consistently kept Baker Mayfield upright, but with him slated to be sidelined against Houston, that's music to the ears of the defensive line. In 2024, Houston was tied for fourth in the NFL in team sacks (49), with Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. both compiling double-digit sacks.
With Wirfs expected to be inactive, Tampa Bay could lean on Charlie Heck, a newcomer to the Bucs after signing as a free agent. He has 23 starts under his belt, but is coming off a poor 2024 season where he posted sub-50 grades as a pass and run blocker. That's a major downgrade from a guy like Wirfs, who has been a rock at LT.
Continuity is huge along the offensive line, but the Bucs will be now tasked with trying to develop it on the fly, and that's something that can take months to hammer out. Whether it's proper communication or just trusting that the guy next to you is going to be in the right spots, this puts Tampa Bay behind the eight ball and works perfectly in the favor of Houston's aggressive D-line.
Without his elite pass protector out there, Houston should be able to constantly generate pressure and keep Baker Mayfield under duress, which is a recipe for success.