The Vikings Stole Tampa Bay’s Contingency Plan
Offensive tackle Justin Skule now works for the Minnesota Vikings, which means he is no longer with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Tampa Bay had a backup OT plan in 2024 — until the Vikings made a move that messed it up. Here’s how Minnesota changed the Bucs’ 2025 outlook.
Skule signed with the Vikings in March, adding depth to the offensive line and potentially proving necessary as Minnesota’s cornerstone left tackle, Christian Darrisaw, recovers from a torn ACL suffered in Los Angeles last October.
So, Tampa Bay needs some oomph at left tackle, and their primary option left in free agency four months ago.
No Tristan Wirfs for Tampa Bay Out of the Gate
Ordinarily, the Buccaneers would’ve rostered Justin Skule for this mission.
Tristan Wirfs to Miss the Start of the Regular Season
Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud tweeted a Buccaneers bombshell on Wednesday: “The Bucs will start the season without All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs, who underwent surgery on his right knee Tuesday and will likely miss at least the first couple games of the regular season.”
“Wirfs aggravated a right knee injury in the offseason that forced him to miss only one game in 2024. The Bucs scheduled arthroscopic surgery for Wirfs on Tuesday, and some additional minor damage was found. Wirfs will likely begin the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list.”
Tampa Bay is favored to win the NFC South once again.
Stroud added, “It’s a big blow for the Bucs. Wirfs protects the blind side of quarterback Baker Mayfield, one of his closest friends on the team. The Bucs signed 49ers free agent left tackle Charlie Heck, who is likely to replace Wirfs to start the season.
“The Bucs improved from last to fourth overall in rushing last season. Wirfs was limited in OTAs and minicamp and wore a brace on his right knee.”
Vikings Signed Justin Skule in March
In an alternate history, had Tampa Bay known Wirfs’ eventual outcome, re-signing Skule might’ve been the wisest choice.
Skule banked a 69.2 Pro Football Focus grade in 2024 with the Buccaneers, playing 362 offensive snaps at offensive tackle. He’d be a natural selection to fill in for Wirfs — if he still worked in Tampa Bay.
Here’s the PFF history for Skule, a 6th-Round pick from the 2019 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers:
- 2024: 69.2
- 2023: 69.8
- 2022: 70.5
- 2021: DNP
- 2020: 45.4
- 2019: 61.7
Buccaneers OT Options
Without Skule, Tampa Bay will likely roll with Heck, as mentioned above by Stroud. Here’s Heck’s shaky PFF history:
- 2024: 41.2
- 2023: 47.4
- 2022: 55.7
- 2021: 56.0
- 2020: 58.6
We’ll just come out and say it: Heck probably won’t be very dependable, meaning Skule is a much better lineman.
Other options on the Buccaneers’ roster include Silas Dzansi, Benjamin Chukwuma, Garret Greenfield, and Lorenz Metz. General manager Jason Licht may be forced to consult free agency, as well.
Skule Could Start … for the Vikings
Meanwhile, here’s the kicker: Skule may end up starting for Minnesota out of the gate. The aforementioned Darrisaw’s ACL recovery is trending in the right direction, but observers still don’t know if that translates to readiness for Week 1.
If Darrisaw cannot play at Chicago on September 8th, Skule is the odds-on favorite to start for the Vikings — an option that Tampa Bay might enjoy right about now.
The Vikings, in short, stole the Buccaneers’ contingency plan at left tackle.
More Skule-Darrisaw Takes
VikingsWire‘s Andrew Harbaugh wrote about Darrisaw and Skule last week, “The Minnesota Vikings offense will go as far as the offensive line will take it in 2025. While Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has the quarterback and surrounding skill players in place, they need a reliable offensive line or else it is all for nothing.”
“One of the key pieces is offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw, who will be coming off a season-ending knee injury from the 2024 season. The Athletic’s Alec Lewis shared various details on the Vikings roster in a recent piece, one of the nuggets centered around the return date of the former first-round draft pick.”
Darrisaw’s injury recovery will be a top — if not the top — Vikings storyline this summer.
Harbaugh added, “While no one wants to see Darrisaw miss anytime, the Vikings did seemingly plan for this. Minnesota signed the Bucs’ former swing tackle Justin Skule in free agency. He proved to be a very serviceable and reliable player for Tampa Bay during his time there, and he could be a good piece for the Vikings in the interim.”
“This would allow for Darrisaw to be brought along slowly while his knee recovers to 100%.”
Down in Tampa Bay, Wirfs, a four-time Pro Bowler, logged a blisteringly good 82.8 Pro Football Focus score last season.
Beloved Ex-Viking Wants Back In
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