RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesIt wasn't that long ago that Antoine Winfield Jr. was thought of as one of the best safeties in the NFL, if not the best .
Winfield has represented the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Pro Bowl twice (2021, 2025) and was named a First-Team All-Pro in 2023. Although his play has not been as dominant over the past couple of seasons, there is a good chance he could return to his All-Pro form in 2026.
Injuries slowed Winfield in 2024, and Tampa's struggles on defense last season prevented him from being used to the best of his abilities. Winfield frequently "had to cover" for his teammates in 2025, meaning he had to stay deep rather than showcasing his elite versatility and ability to make plays all over the field.
Now another year removed from his injuries, and with Tampa's defense looking much improved, Winfield should be able to regain the form he showed just a couple of years ago.
While he might have to prove himself as a top-5 safety again, an ESPN survey of league coaches, executives, and scouts ranked Winfield as the seventh-best safety in the NFL. Despite his slight drop-off in production over the past two seasons, Winfield is almost universally still regarded as one of the top-10 safeties in the league.
Almost.
Bleacher Report just released a very thorough and interesting ranking of the 1,000 best players in the NFL. Broken down into individual positions, Winfield was ridiculously ranked as only the 18th-best safety in the league.
"High-Quality Starter"
Bleacher Report's ranking classified the tier of 12 safeties, which included Winfield, as "high-quality starters." He was given a grade of 80/100, broken into five separate tools. Winfield received a 10/15 in man coverage, 17/20 in zone, 18/20 for run support, 19/25 for his instincts, and 16/20 in recovery ability.
He was complimented for his tackling ability, but B/R did not think Winfield looked like himself last year.
"Still one of the best tackling players in the NFL, Antoine Winfield Jr. was not a defender offenses looked to test in the passing game. Five targets were the most he faced in a single game, and that happened only once last season, but he didn't entirely look himself. Winfield played more reactively than anticipatorily, and his yards-per-reception allowed were higher than at any point since his rookie season. It's possible his leg/knee injury from the 2024 season lingered into 2025 and hampered the former All-Pro. However, he still found ways to impact games with eight passes defended, two interceptions, and 16 quarterback pressures, the most in his career."
Winfield may have still been affected by his 2024 injuries at the beginning of last season, but he quickly looked healthy again as he had another Pro Bowl year. If anything is to blame for Winfield's production dipping slightly, it was Tampa's inability to use its star safety's best attribute, his versatility.
Having to keep Winfield back as the last line of defense hampered both his ability to be more of a factor against the run and his skills as a blitzer. With a better supporting cast, the Bucs should be able to deploy Winfield all over the formation again this season.
Final Thoughts
While he was slightly less dominant over the last two years, it is almost laughable to claim there are 17 safeties better than Winfield.
He remains firmly inside the top 10 in my opinion, as well as the opinion of most others. Winfield should be expected to be the leader of the Bucs' young secondary, and another Pro Bowl/All-Pro season is within his reach.
If he accomplishes either, Winfield should find himself solidly inside the top-10, possibly back into the top-5, when these preseason rankings come out again next year.
If Winfield does have another All-Pro season in 2026, the Bucs' defense could regain its reputation as one of the best in the league.
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