The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have one of the NFL’s best players in safety Antoine Winfield Jr.. He’s a single player who has proven good enough in the past to lift Tampa Bay to No. 12 in PFF’s NFL secondary rankings ahead of training camp.
“The Buccaneers have arguably the best safety in the NFL in Antoine Winfield Jr. and they have a solid supporting cast surrounding him,” PFF’s John Kosko said. “Cornerback Jamel Dean is ultra-consistent, and they added slot cornerback Tavierre Thomas and safety Jordan Whitehead in free agency. While the two new pieces will be question marks to start, they both prevented separation at very high levels in their previous stops.”
In line with what Kosko said, Winfield is the key. Not just to the Buccaneers’ secondary but to the entire defense and the franchise paid him like it in the offseason, giving him a 4-year, $84.1 million contract in May 2024 that made him the highest-paid safety in the NFL.
Winfield Jr. Rose to Top of NFL DB Elite in 2023
The Buccaneers drafted Winfield Jr. in the second round (No. 45 overall) in 2020 and he provided immediate results.
The son of former NFL All-Pro cornerback Antoine Winfield Sr., Winfield Jr. started all 16 games as a rookie in 2020 and made the PFWAA All-Rookie Team as the Buccaneers won the second Super Bowl in franchise history.
He also provided one of the most viral moments in recent Super Bowl history when he hit Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill with the “peace” sign as revenge for Hill doing it to him earlier in the season.
Winfield Jr. struggled with injuries over the next two seasons — he missed four games each in 2021 and 2022 — but still made his first Pro Bowl in 2021.
In 2023, Winfield Jr. had one of the best seasons for an NFL safety in recent memory on the way to earning NFL All-Pro honors for the first time. On the way to winning a third consecutive NFC South Division title and making the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year Winfield Jr. started all 17 games with 122 tackles, 3 interceptions, 6.0 sacks, 12 pass deflections, 4 fumble recoveries and an NFL-leading 6 forced fumbles.
Breaking Down Bucs’ Secondary Supporting Cast
What great players should always do is elevate everyone around them — something Winfield Jr. will be called on to do for the rest of his career.
One player who could make a huge difference for the Buccaneers with a leap forward in his play is cornerback Zyon McCollum, who PFF’s Bradley Locker believes could be the team’s breakout player in 2024.
“Tampa Bay sent stud cornerback Carlton Davis III to Detroit, leaving a gap in its secondary,” Locker wrote. “One of the top names to step up is McCollum, who should start on the outside next to Jamel Dean. McCollum hasn’t been superb through two seasons, with both years ending with an overall grade no higher than 50.4, but his tackling and run defense play each improved in his second year. After all, he already has Todd Bowles’ trust, with his 870 snaps in 2023 ranking fourth on Tampa.”
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