Buccaneers Training Camp: 3 rookies who have impressed during Week 1

Tristan Wirfs

If you’ve kept up or watched any of the Buccaneers’ first week of camps, you’ll be surprised to see Tristan Wirfs listed here.

Wirfs has had a time adjusting to the next level and struggled mightily- especially in the first two days of camp- as he went head-to-head with Shaquil Barrett and just couldn’t win the battle.

That being said, Buccaneers LT Donovan Smith put it into perspective:

"“Making that jump from college to the pros, and expect to start is tough, but he’s doing a great job over there right now for the circumstances we had,” Smith said. “Not having OTAs and stuff I think he’s pretty much ahead of where I pretty much would’ve thought he would’ve been.”"

Wirfs has improved this week and he’s only going to get better as the game begins to slow down for him.

Yes, he’s had his struggles. Yes, he has a long way to go. But the thing that has impressed me most about Wirfs is the fact that he has continued to get better, he learns from his mistakes and he has already taken that starting right tackle position by the horns.

The Buccaneers believe in the rookie, that’s for sure, and you have to be impressed with how he’s handled himself being thrown into a starter role with no OTAs or any prior experience heading into Training Camp.