Todd Bowles sacrificed Antoine Winfield Jr.’s elite pass-rushing skills to anchor a struggling secondary. Now, a revamped roster promises to finally unleash the star safety’s full versatility.
Antoine Winfield Jr. is one of the most versatile safeties, but last season, coach Todd Bowles limited his strength to help cover for the rest of the defense.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers struggled to contain the pass, but excelled at stopping the run. As the 27th-ranked pass defense, Bowles entrusted the centerfield role to the 27-year-old last season.
“Because [Winfield] was the oldest, obviously, and he was the smartest back there and he had to man the middle of the field to make up for everybody else,” Bowles told Sports Day Tampa Bay.
While the 2020 second-round pick is talented, asking him to cover for his teammates' mistakes routinely is a tall task. Eventually, he will slip up, and he did against the Atlanta Falcons on Dec. 11.
The Buccaneers had an opportunity to force a turnover on down during a 4th-and-14 with less than 30 seconds left. Kirk Cousins threw a 21-yard completion to David Sills V -- who's now a Buccaneer -- and the safety late on rotation was Winfield.
That completion set up the game-winning 43-yard field goal to defeat Tampa Bay 29-28.
Restricting Winfield meant losing out on his ability to pressure the quarterback. He recorded 18 sacks throughout his career, including a career-best six in 2023.
Winfield posted a career-low one sack last year. Injuries to the team played a significant role in his limitation, as rookie linebacker David Walker tore his ACL before the season began and defensive tackle Calijah Kancey missed 14 games due to a torn pectoral muscle.
Fellow rookie Elijah Roberts had to step up as a starter, and veteran Vita Vea had a down season. Vea regressed from seven sacks to 4.5, despite playing all 14 contests.
General manager Jason Licht attacked this offseason by bolstering the team's defensive depth, and it should allow Bowles to maximize Winfield's versatility once more. Outside linebacker Al'Quadin Muhammad signed with the team after having a career-year sacking the quarterback (10), and Miami Hurricanes EDGE Rueben Bain Jr. fell to Licht at No. 15.
Bowles and his staff have raved about Bain's addition, despite his historically short arms (30 7/8 inches). The former Hurricane fits Tampa Bay's aggressive defensive style, often blitzing the quarterback nearly half of the time.
Winfield prides himself on making an impact everywhere on the field, and with a revamped defense, it should lessen the responsibility on his shoulders and let him play more freely.
"My best skill set, I feel like, is my versatility," Winfield told reporters on June 17. "So, being able to play everywhere is what I like the most."
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