After six weeks into the season, the Bucs looked like a team that had shades of a championship-winning team. With a record of 4-2, the Bucs only needed to steer the ship after that. But now they are on a four-game losing streak, and their record has dropped to 4-6. Although they still remain second in their division, the hopes of securing the top spot are slowly fading away from Tampa Bay.

Losing to the 49ers at home didn’t only reduce their chances of qualifying for the playoffs. They also lost one of their key offensive line players on Sunday as Tristan Wirfs suffered a horrific knee injury that ended his game with only five minutes of the first half remaining to play. Him missing out on the next few games might have prompted an NFL agent to put an offer on the Bucs table.

Taking to X, Whitney Holtzman posted, “Hey @Buccaneers, I have an O-lineman free agent client, who plays guard, center and tackle. He is 6’6″ 310 pounds and has played for the Packers, Cardinals, Broncos, Ravens, Browns and Titans. 📞 me! Although Whitney didn’t reveal the player in her initial post, she did drop the name on her thread.

And that player appears to be Zack Johnson from North Dakota State. Johnson has been a member of the Packers, Cardinals, Ravens, Titans and the Browns, but he never managed to make an appearance in the NFL for either of those teams. However, during this time in North Dakota, Johnson was a player known for his capability of protecting his QB. While starting all of his games in 2018, Johnson allowed only two sacks while getting named an FCS All-American.

Even in his senior year, Johnson only allowed one sack while switching to right guard from his traditional right tackle position. He led North Dakota to their third straight national championship, thereby showing his strength on the offensive line. Although we don’t know whether the Buccaneers will be making a move for Johnson now that the trade deadline is over.

Baker Mayfield may need some help on the offense, as he has already found himself sacked 24 times this season. And with Wirfs added to the injury list, he needs to be protected, or else the Bucs may not make it to the postseason after the Niners’ loss.

Tristan Wirfs’ injury adds to the problems of the Bucs’ O-line

Seeing Wirfs sidelined for at least a few weeks, Baker Mayfield can just hope he comes back sooner, “Sometimes, that’s the way the season goes. Hopefully, Tristan is not a serious injury. I just saw him, and it looked like he was in a positive mindset at least. So, that’s good. That’s positive.” Well, Tristan’s injury came on the back of a collision with the 49ers defensive lineman Nick Bosa in the second quarter. Him heading on Sunday saw former 49ers OT Justin Skule replacing him on the spot.

And Skule was rather okayish as he gave up just one sack for the remaining quarters in Tampa Bay. This was Skule’s fourth appearance after filling in for Luke Goedeke when he was sidelined with a concussion. Watching Wirfs getting injured before the second half got Skule sharing his reaction post-game, “It’s awful. You never want to see that for anyone. But for a guy like that, playing at an elite level like he always is, it’s tough. But it’s one of those things where in the game. You can’t really think about it. Now is really the time you sit back and check on him and see if he’s OK and be there for him.”

It would be the third Pro Bowler the Bucs will be missing out on, in the next few weeks. As they are already without their star receivers, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, due to injuries. However, the bye week for the Bucs couldn’t have come sooner, as they would expect a few of them to come back into the lineup.