Todd Bowles just revealed what doomed Antoine Winfield Jr. in 2025

Antoine Winfield Jr. has been one of the NFL’s best safeties since being selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2020 NFL Draft. 

He’s a two-time Pro Bowler and was named First-Team All-Pro in 2023 after one of the best seasons ever from the safety position.

Winfield finished that season with 122 tackles, six sacks, three interceptions, 12 passes defensed, six forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries.

But Winfield has failed to return to those heights in recent seasons. It’s not for a lack of talent, and it’s certainly not for a lack of effort. Head coach Todd Bowles provided some valuable insight into Winfield’s reduced impact last season. 

Buccaneers need to put Antoine Winfield Jr. in better position to succeed

It’s no secret that Winfield is most effective near the line of scrimmage. He leads all defensive backs in sacks since 2020, and is elite at attacking the football.

But rather than unleashing their star safety near the line of scrimmage and allowing him to hunt, the Bucs instead relegated him to a center field role last season, positioning him as the last line of defense instead of the first. 

Bowles spoke to Sports Day Tampa Bay, via JoeBucsFan, and explained that Winfield was restricted to that role due to the unreliable supporting cast around him. 

“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’ admission that Winfield had to “make up for everybody else” speaks volumes about the lack of faith he had in his defensive personnel last season. Instead of maximizing Winfield’s All-Pro skill set, the Buccaneers asked him to compensate for everybody else’s shortcomings. 

The Bucs made it their mission to revamp the defensive unit this offseason. They signed edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad, linebacker Alex Anzalone, and defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson.

They drafted four defensive rookies, headlined by Rueben Bain Jr., who is expected to make an immediate impact. 

After investing so heavily in the defense this offseason, the Buccaneers can no longer justify the misuse of Winfield. 

Tampa Bay has one of the best safeties in the NFL when they utilize him properly. Winfield just needs more opportunities to play his attacking brand of football in 2026, allowing his playmaking ability to dictate games instead of being asked to clean up everybody else’s mistakes.

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