Buccaneers' Offensive Tackle Pairing One of the League's Best According to PFF

Pro Football Focus believes that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have one of the most impressive offensive tackle duos in the league.

Dec 31, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs (78) warms up before a game against the New Orleans Saints at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Sometimes it's tough to understand the grades that Pro Football Focus doles out for certain players. There are many occasions when the analytics and the eye test simply don't seem to align.

Recently, PFF unveiled their ranking of the top offensive tackles in the NFL. And in the case of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the analytics certainly match up with what you see on the field — Especially when it comes to the evaluation of the team's best offensive lineman, Tristan Wirfs.

READ MORE: The 3 Toughest Games on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 2024 Schedule

Wirfs was ranked as the second-best offensive tackle in the entire NFL. Here's what PFF had to say about the 25-year-old Buccaneer who already has a Super Bowl ring and multiple All-Pro honors on his resume.

"The Buccaneers' decision to move Wirfs from right to left tackle before the 2023 season raised questions about whether his performance would decline. However, Wirfs recorded the second-highest pass-blocking grade among all offensive tackles and finished with a top-five overall grade for the first time in his career (83.0)."

The positive news doesn't end there for Bucs fans. Just a little further down the list, one of Tampa Bay's most underrated players received some well-deserved recognition.

READ MORE: Pro Football Focus Identifies Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Most Underrated Player

Despite playing his first NFL season at the guard position, Luke Goedeke graded out as the 25th-best tackle in the NFL — an incredibly impressive feat for a player who spent his entire rookie season learning how to play guard. Here's the analysis presented by PFF when describing Goedeke's performance in 2023.

"When it was announced that Goedeke would move from left guard to right tackle after a somewhat disappointing rookie season, few would have bet that he would appear on this list a year later. However, the Central Michigan product put together a really impressive season, as he ranked eighth among right tackles in pass blocking grade (72.5)."

Goedeke wasn't just good in pass protection, though. He proved to be really solid in the run game as well, finishing the season as one of just seven right tackles in the league to earn 70.0-plus pass-blocking and run-blocking grades.

With 64 starting offensive tackles in the NFL, the fact that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have both of theirs ranked in the top 25 at the position is quite the accomplishment. Considering both players are still just 25 years old, there's no question that as a tandem, their best days are ahead of them. In the years to come, Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke will have a legitimate chance to establish themselves as one of the best tackle pairings in the NFL.

You can follow Collin Haalboom on X.

Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the offseason.

Follow BucsGameday on Twitter and Facebook