Baker Mayfield will have plenty to do with how far the Tampa Bay Buccaneers go in 2026, but when removing quarterbacks from the equation, CBS Sports believes Tristan Wirfs is the most valuable player on the roster.
CBS Sports’ Jared Dubin selected a non-quarterback MVP for every NFC team entering the season, with Wirfs getting the nod for Tampa Bay. His reasoning went beyond Wirfs simply being one of the best left tackles in football.
The difference in Tampa Bay’s offense with and without Wirfs has been significant throughout his career. According to Dubin, the Bucs have averaged 0.04 EPA per play with Wirfs on the field compared to minus-0.02 when he’s been off it.
Dubin put those numbers into perspective by noting that 0.04 EPA per play would represent the ninth-best offense over that span. The production without Wirfs would rank 22nd.
That difference became particularly important last season when Wirfs missed five games due to injury. Despite the missed time, he still played well enough to earn another Pro Bowl selection.
“If he’s around to protect Baker Mayfield all year, the Tampa offense will be substantially better for it,” Dubin wrote. “If he’s not, the Bucs could struggle to get things going.”
Keeping Mayfield upright will be a major part of Wirfs’ job, but his value extends throughout the offense. CBS Sports’ numbers show just how different Tampa Bay has performed when its left tackle isn’t available, making Wirfs a reasonable choice as the player outside of Mayfield who could have the biggest impact on the Bucs’ success in 2026.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: CBS Sports projects the Bucs non-QB MVP for the 2026 season
Reporting by Mason Riney, Buccaneers Wire / Bucs Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mason Riney, Buccaneers Wire | USA TODAY Network
