The final nail in the coffin for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers came when journeyman wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge streaked through the middle of the field for a walk-off, 46-yard touchdown to give the Atlanta Falcons a 36-30 overtime win in Week 5.
The Buccaneers’ secondary seemed to have their fate sealed long before that. Maybe even way before the NFC South Division showdown kicked off and Atlanta quarterback Kirk Cousins shredded Tampa Bay for a franchise-record 509 passing yards to go with 4 touchdowns and 1 interception.
The moment things came undone for the Buccaneers’ defensive backfield may have been in Week 1, when NFL All-Pro free safety Antoine Winfield Jr. suffered a foot injury in a win over the Washington Commanders — an injury that kept Winfield out for a fourth consecutive game with the loss to the Falcons.
Never was Winfield’s absence more pronounced than when Hodge caught the game-winning touchdown pass from Cousins on a play in which he ran past the entire Tampa Bay secondary, burning cornerback Zyon McCollum on the reception then outrunning safeties Christian Izien and Kaevon Merriweather along with cornerback Jamel Dean.
Merriweather was on the field after starting strong safety Jordan Whitehead left the game with a groin injury. Izien has been the starter in place of Winfield.
More than any other injury on the roster, how Winfield recovers in the 10 days between the loss to the Falcons and when Tampa Bay returns to action on Oct. 13 at the New Orleans Saints in Week 6 could end up defining the trajectory of the Buccaneers’ season.
Winfield Highest-Paid DB in NFL History
Winfield’s absence is probably more pronounced after the Buccaneers made him the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history with a 4-year, $84.1 million contract extension in May 2024.
PFF’s Zoltan Buday put Winfield Jr. at No. 1 on his list of the NFL’s Top 32 safeties headed into the 2024 season.
“Winfield, who became the NFL’s highest-paid defensive back this offseason, was the highest-graded safety in the league last season (90.7),” Buday wrote. “The 25-year-old’s 92.0 PFF overall grade over the past three seasons leads the position, and his run-defense and pass-rush grades rank first among safeties, too.”
Winfield Jr. had the franchise tag placed on him in the offseason, which would have paid him $17.1. million in 2024 before he agreed to his new deal.
Buccaneers Might Need to Bring in Additional Help
The Buccaneers need reinforcements, and they need them fast. They could get that with 3-time NFL All-Pro safety and free agent Patrick Peterson.
Peterson could serve multiple purposes for the Buccaneers. The 34-year-old has spent the majority of his career as an elite cornerback but could be a spot fill-in at either safety spot as well — something the Buccaneers could use right now.
“I don’t want to start at safety because that’s a different animal back there,” Peterson said, via the NFL on Fox podcast in April 2024. “That’s a different view back there. If that is the case, I would need to be warned going into the season to get my body, my mental prepared. It’s different being at the safety from the cornerback position, having those open-field tackles.”
