Latest news with #AntoineWinfieldJr.
USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Antoine Winfield Jr. is still held in high regard by PFF ahead of 2025 season
Antoine Winfield Jr. is still held in high regard by PFF ahead of 2025 season The safety position has become one of the most valuable in the NFL despite the lack of depth coming into the NFL in recent draft classes. The league itself has done a tremendous job developing the players coming in, and as a result, the task of ranking the 32 best players at the position could be a more tedious than originally thought. PFF never backs down from a challenge though as they are taking up the task of ranking the 32 best safeties in the NFL. For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their fans, they do not have to read far down the list to find their favorite player, Antoine Winfield Jr. The All-Pro safety may be coming off an injury-riddled 2024 season, but he is still ranked respectfully at 4th overall by PFF. They explain the ranking, writing, "Despite the Buccaneers winning the NFC South, Tampa Bay's star safety had a season to forget. Winfield struggled with injuries and played a career-low 601 snaps. He missed 9% of his tackle attempts, which was his worst rate of the past three seasons. However, Winfield's career body of work keeps him in the top four ahead of 2025. He was the league's highest-graded safety in 2023 (90.7) and hadn't earned a PFF run-defense grade below 85.0 before 2024." Winfield Jr.'s career body of work speaks louder than the 2024 season's impact on him. As PFF points out, he has been a model of consistency over his career, which is why his missing so much time affected the Bucs' secondary so much. Getting him back and healthy in 2025 could be the difference between a deep playoff run and another early exit like they experienced in January.
USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Bucs HC Todd Bowles shares update on Antoine Winfield Jr. from OTAs
Bucs HC Todd Bowles shares update on Antoine Winfield Jr. from OTAs The Bucs have always been a franchise that relies on playmakers from their defense to determine their success or failure within a season. The latest bona fide playmaker on the Bucs roster, who is on the road to being remembered as one of the greats, is Antoine Winfield Jr. The former Minnesota Golden Gopher made his presence known as a rookie and played a part in their Super Bowl-winning season. From there, he has been named to an All-Pro team, and he has earned a monumental extension from the team. So when he missed significant time last year, it affected the team. This week, Todd Bowles spoke to the media and shared his thoughts on how the All-Pro safety looked early on at OTAs. "He's been great. I mean, he looks like he's in great shape. He's been here almost every day. He puts in the work, he puts in the time, and I like where he's at right now." Winfield Jr. played in just nine games in 2024, the lowest amount in his NFL career. He had career lows across the board in every category since entering the NFL in 2020, so he will be coming into the 2025 season with a chip on his shoulder. It seems so far he is on the right path to righting a season he sees as a wrong.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
PFF Predicts Major Resurgence for Buccaneers All-Pro
PFF Predicts Major Resurgence for Buccaneers All-Pro originally appeared on Athlon Sports. When his career first started, safety Antoine Winfield Jr. quickly became one of the best players in the league for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Multiple Pro Bowls, and All-Pro nod, and a Super Bowl ring were just some of the accolades that the former Minnesota product earned. Advertisement If the first four seasons of his career were amogn the best for a safety during that span, the 2024 season was anything but. Winfield suffered multiple injuries that cost him eight games, and was ineffective in the games he did play due to his injury. He suffered through the worst season of his career. Instead of panicking, though, the Buccaneers have trust that the veteram will bounce back. Pro Football Focus agrees with their opinion. They listed Winfield as an easy bounce-back candidate for the 2025 season. 'Tampa Bay struggled to defend the middle of the field in 2024, due in part to injuries and a dip in production from star safety Antoine Winfield Jr", PFF said. "He posted a career-low 50.8 coverage grade and, for the first time in his career, failed to record an interception.' Advertisement Winfield's struggles were a key reason why the Buccaneers defense suffered through one of their worst years in recent memory. They had the worst pass defense, and struggled to get after the passer consistently. That can change if Winfield id at 100%. And if he can have a resurgence in 2025, the Buccaneers defense should get back to title contention realtively quickly. Related: Insider Reveals Buccaneers Top Remaining Offseason Priority Related: Buccaneers Rival Falcons Unintentionally Troll Themselves This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
02-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Are the Bucs going to get a bounce back season from a fan favorite?
Are the Bucs going to get a bounce back season from a fan favorite? During his rookie season, Antoine Winfield Jr. gave Bucs fans and the NFL world a monumental moment in Super Bowl LV. When he threw up the peace sign in the face of Tyreek Hill, everyone knew the game was over for the Bucs and the Chiefs had been broken. Since then, he has been a fan favorite and has improved as a player in each game. PFF discussed one breakout candidate for each NFL team ahead of the 2025 season. For the Bucs, the choice boiled down to fan favorite Winfield Jr. after he missed a bulk of 2024 and didn't look the same when he was playing due to his injury. They write, "Tampa Bay struggled to defend the middle of the field in 2024, due in part to injuries and a dip in production from star safety Antoine Winfield Jr. He posted a career-low 50.8 coverage grade and, for the first time in his career, failed to record an interception. Still, Winfield is an easy bounce-back candidate in 2025. He was the NFL's highest-graded safety just one season prior and ranked sixth in coverage grade that year." The Bucs' pass coverage was among the worst in the NFL in 2024, and Winfield Jr.'s lack of self-confidence played a major role in that. A healthy version of him not only helps the pass coverage but also helps the linebackers patrolling the middle of the field in their run support. He could easily return to his All-Pro self, and with that, the Bucs could see a playoff run come with that form.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bucs Urged To Sign 'Best-Fit' 4-Time All-Pro Safety
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers entered the offseason with a few significant obstacles to their maintenance of NFC South dominance. Many of those questions have been met with profound answers. They managed to retain Chris Godwin after salary cap concerns hovered over his ability to return to the team. Tampa Bay needed pass rushing and went out to sign Haason Reddick on a one-year prove it deal to bolster their defense. Advertisement Even when offensive coordinator Liam Coen left them at the altar under stunning circumstances, they rebounded to promote Josh Grizzard from within in hopes of keeping things steady on that end. Much of that is a credit to general manager Jason Licht, who has pulled off the necessary maneuvers to keep this team afloat and in the thick of the NFC chase. But could his Bucs entertain one more move to enhance the roster for the 2025 campaign? Last season, Tampa Bay's secondary was decimated with injury, including Antoine Winfield Jr. who had to miss several games. They spent two draft picks on cornerbacks, but the safety position could use some attention. That's why ESPN's list of best fit free agents and trade targets has Justin Simmons pegged to the Bucs' secondary. Schematically, it makes for a strong fit as ESPN's Matt Bowen notes. Advertisement "Simmons fits really well as an interchangeable safety opposite Antoine Winfield Jr. in Todd Bowles' defense. The Bucs played the most zone coverage in the league last season (71.7% of the time), and Simmons can spin to the post or walk down in Cover 3. "He's an excellent communicator with field awareness. Simmons has picked off 32 passes over his nine-year career, including two last season." The playmaking is certainly a plus but the pedigree here is even more enticing. Simmons spent his first eight seasons with the Denver Broncos before a one-year stint with the Atlanta Falcons. He was a second-team All-Pro safety for the three years prior to Atlanta and has earned that honor a total of four seasons. Advertisement The Bucs' secondary has plenty of youth, but lacks much veteran savvy beyond what Winfield provides. Simmons is a player who can still contribute and provide that missing presence for this group. Given what the Bucs have done so far, that may not be a necessary addition and there is some merit to letting the younger guys figure things out themselves. At the same time, they only stand to gain from adding a player like Simmons this late in the offseason. Related: Buccaneers Earn Monster Grade After Offseason Deals Related: Shilo Sanders Boasts 'I Always Do Something Great' in Bucs Roster Bid
