The overall offensive line play wasn't the all-time worst for the Buccaneers in 2022, but there were some games where it felt like it was.

The numbers told the story of a group that was closer to mediocre more than anything, but even this felt like a major step back after what we saw from this unit for the two years that Bruce Arians was the head coach of the team.

Injuries and poor play from returners like Donovan Smith made it much harder for the team to move the ball at ease like it had during the prior seasons, but the Bucs have made it official that they will move on from Smith, and now the focus can turn to rebuilding the still-talented group into one that this franchise can lean on again.

Tampa has a hole at left tackle for the first time in a while, and it seems like this strange occurrence has led to many people on social media discussing a silly notion in an attempt to solve this issue; moving Tristan Wirfs from right tackle to left tackle.

Wirfs is one of the best tackles in the NFL and could like make the shift to left tackle with some time, but acting like he will still play at the same All-Pro level during a shift that isn't as easy as some would think is ignorant of the difficulties associated with line play.

Steps and hand use flip. Matchups change. Movements that Wirfs has made second-nature are now mirrored in a method that isn't all that different from trying to bat with your non-dominant hand in baseball, although it is a bit more common in football.

Line play is extremely cerebral, and again, while Wirfs can probably pull this off in the long run, making your All-Pro right tackle slightly worse and then creating a hole at right tackle is a bad plan.

There is a hole at left tackle. The Bucs should draft someone to play that spot (a quality free agent would likely be too expensive) and they need to let Wirfs stay where he is at to continue dominating the equally-talented left ends and edges that he has already faced over the past two seasons.

A rookie or new face at left tackle will be rough however you slice it, but so will a rookie or new face at right tackle. The only difference with the rookie left tackle is that Tristan Wirfs is still playing at the highest level possible on the right.

The choice should be easy. Tristan Wirfs and a rookie works out better than a slightly-worse version of Wirfs with a rookie. 

The game has changed. Sacrificing quality play to focus on the left side of the line is archaic in the modern NFL, and the Buccaneers choosing to do this with their best player would not be a great start to the post-Tom Brady era.

Featured image via Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports