The NFL has announced a new annual award, “Protector of the Year,” which will honor the league’s top offensive lineman.
The award is a long time coming. Offensive line play has always been crucial to team success, yet it has long been undervalued by the media and fans.
The introduction of the award comes at a perfect time for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as their 26-year-old left tackle Tristan Wirfs has begun his career on an indisputable Hall of Fame trajectory, and should be a perennial contender for the Protector of the Year award throughout his prime.
Had the award existed just a year earlier, it’s hard to imagine anyone but Wirfs taking it home.
Wirfs was named to his fourth Pro Bowl and earned first-team All-Pro honors for the second time last season, becoming the first player in NFL history to earn All-Pro honors at both right tackle and left tackle.
According to Pro Football Focus, Wirfs did not allow a sack in 16 games in 2024. Across 1,014 offensive snaps, he was charged with allowing just one quarterback hit and 12 pressures. PFF gave Wirfs a 93.7 pass-blocking grade last season, which ranked the highest among any qualifying offensive lineman in 2024.
Wirfs has been one of the league’s elite linemen since he entered the NFL as a rookie in 2020. As long as he’s performing at the level we’ve all become accustomed to, he’ll be a favorite for the Protector of the Year honor.
It’s exciting to see an underappreciated position group like the offensive line finally get the opportunity to earn the recognition and accolades they deserve, and it’s even more exciting when a Buccaneer is a legitimate contender for such a prestigious honor.
A Protector of the Year award would make for a nice touch on the resume when it comes time for Wirfs to be considered for his gold jacket in Canton.
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