Winfield finished that season with 122 tackles, six sacks, three interceptions, 12 passes defensed, six forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries.<\/p>\n
But Winfield has failed to return to those heights in recent seasons. It\u2019s not for a lack of talent, and it\u2019s certainly not for a lack of effort. Head coach Todd Bowles provided some valuable insight into Winfield\u2019s reduced impact last season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Buccaneers need to put Antoine Winfield Jr. in better position to succeed<\/p>\n
It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bowles spoke to Sports Day Tampa Bay, via JoeBucsFan<\/a>, and explained that Winfield was restricted to that role due to the unreliable supporting cast around him.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBecause [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,\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Bowles\u2019 admission that Winfield had to \u201cmake up for everybody else\u201d speaks volumes about the lack of faith he had in his defensive personnel last season. Instead of maximizing Winfield\u2019s All-Pro skill set, the Buccaneers asked him to compensate for everybody else\u2019s shortcomings.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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\u2019Shawn Robinson.<\/p>\n They drafted four defensive rookies,<\/a> headlined by Rueben Bain Jr., who is expected to make an immediate impact.\u00a0<\/p>\n After investing so heavily in the defense this offseason, the Buccaneers can no longer justify the misuse of Winfield.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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