The Bucs made plenty of moves heading into this season, from re-signing key players to bringing in a promising new draft class of rookies. Tampa Bay invested in their own with the funds they had, but one critical move that has already paid off was re-investing in safety Jordan Whitehead.
Whitehead was drafted by Tampa Bay back in 2018 and played four seasons with the team. Hitting free agency in 2022, he signed a two-year deal with the Jets and spent time there improving as a player. Badly needing to fill the starting strong safety spot after the Ryan Neal experiment failed, general manager Jason Licht decided to re-sign one of his draft picks.
Back in May, Licht admitted he was wrong about letting Whitehead go.
“With Jordan, it was a Mea culpa,” Licht said on the Loose Cannons Podcast back in May. “We had to draw the line at some point. And I made a mistake. I’m glad we got him back. It was a mistake that I regretted the minute we let him walk. Luckily, I had a chance to get him back. And nobody’s happier than him, [safeties coach] Nick Rapone, [head coach] Todd Bowles, myself. He’s going to make a big impact for us this year.”
Through two games, his impact has already been felt and is a welcome boon to the Bucs’ secondary. On a team with plenty of continuity, Whitehead has been the most valuable addition to this year’s squad.
Jordan Whitehead Has Taken His Tackling Ability Up Another Notch
Jordan Whitehead was all over the field during the Bucs’ 20-16 win over the Lions on Sunday afternoon. Whitehead finished the game with 11 total tackles, leading the team. Through the first two games this season, he leads the unit with 19 total tackles.
Whitehead has always been a physical player and sure tackler, but he took it up a notch the past two seasons with the Jets. The veteran safety had his two highest single-season tackle totals with 89 in 2022 and 97 in 2023. His ability to clean up plays and make big hits in the box was what Todd Bowles’ defense needed.
After Ryan Neal was one of the reasons for the team’s loss in Week 6 last season giving up a touchdown to wide receiver Jameson Williams and was also badly beaten on a play in the Divisional Round, Jordan Whitehead was one of the biggest factors in the team’s win this time around.
While he was not with Tampa Bay last season, he spent a lot of time going over the film to be prepared to face the Lions’ offense.
“It was a lot of film study with the last two games we played last year,” Whitehead said after the game. “I was just watching those games all week, just trying to see what they do. It’s kind of similar, they keep doing the same thing. They got a lot of plays they run, but you got to go through those games, go through those teams that they played that have the same front, same similar defense.
“That’s how you get a hold of them, get a headstart on them. [Jared] Goff, he’s back there, he’s throwing that ball. I knew there were going to be some opportunities out there. I left one on the table with a dropped interception. Other than that though, it was a great job.”
Whitehead played well throughout the game, but the dropped interception was something that he heard about afterward.
“Somebody was over there talking about, ‘I know you can’t catch, you never can catch,'” Whitehead added. “I was going to let it go, but they kept going on. I got over it, I just looked back and gave them a smile.”
Jordan Whitehead On Sunday’s Win Over Lions: “This Was A Statement”
That one play does not discredit the many Jordan Whitehead made against the Lions, and that speaks to the much-needed value and steady presence that he has brought to the Bucs’ secondary. Whitehead stepped up in a big way as the defense was without safety Antoine Winfield Jr., who was out with an ankle sprain.
The backend of the secondary was still productive, with Christian Izien filling in for Winfield and recording nine total tackles, two pass deflections, and an interception himself.
During Izien’s press conference on Monday, he was quick to praise Whitehead and what it’s like playing alongside him.
With so many defensive pieces missing from the game, holding the Lions’ offense to 16 points was not just impressive, but a statement.
“This was a statement,” Whitehead said. “This was just a start though, we got to keep going. We got to keep getting better every week. We needed a good test, one of these. To see what we’re really made of. I think this was just a great start for the season, but you know, we got to keep going. We got to get stronger.”
