Antoine Winfield Jr. Injury Worse Than Originally Thought

The Bucs didn’t receive good news when it came to their injury-riddled secondary. It was one thing to lose starting cornerback Zyon McCollum to a concussion in the team’s 37-20 win over the Commanders on Sunday, and another to lose top reserve cornerback Bryce Hall to a season-ending dislocated ankle and fractured fibula.

But Pewter Report reported that Bucs All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. was seen leaving the locker room after the Week 1 win in walking boot on his right foot. The team hoped that Winfield might miss some practice time with his injury, but instead he’s more likely to miss a few weeks of action, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz.

Fox Sports’ Greg Auman confirmed the injury and suggested that it would more likely be three to four weeks with ankle/foot sprain. Pewter Report has confirmed this report. Auman is typically spot on in his reporting, and Schultz also has a very credible track record for breaking news.

A four-to-six week time frame is about right for a high ankle sprain. Bucs outside linebacker Yaya Diaby had a mild high ankle sprain in that he received treatment on it after injury his ankle after the first week of training camp and didn’t have to walk around in a boot or a brace. Diaby missed all three preseason games and five weeks total with his injury before returning to practice prior to the 2024 season opener against Washington.

Todd Bowles Discussed Antoine Winfield Jr.’s Injury

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles discussed when Antoine Winfield Jr. injured his ankle in Tampa Bay’s 37-20 victory over Washington on Sunday.

“He got hurt on one of the last two plays of the game in regulation,” Bowles said. “He was on the onside (kick) team, he didn’t go out there for the onside (kick) team. He’s pretty sore. We’ll see how he feels.”

“Obviously Win was in a boot. We’ll see about him later in the week,” Bowles said at his day-after-game presser on Monday afternoon hours before Jordan Schultz’s report on X.

Bucs safety Antoine Winfield Jr. – Photo by: USA Today

There’s no question that this is a huge blow for the Bucs already on top of the several injuries that they’re dealing with on defense, which includes missing starting defensive tackles Calijah Kancey and Logan Hall.

Antoine Winfield is the best player that the Bucs have on their defense. He earned an All-Pro and was rewarded this offseason with a four-year, $84.1 million extension that made him the highest-paid defensive back in the NFL up until Patrick Surtain’s new deal recently with the Broncos.

Winfield already got off to a good start in Week 1 of this season, recording seven tackles in Tampa Bay’s season-opening win. That was tied for second most on the team. His versatility in tons of different areas allows the Bucs’ defense to reach a different level and gives Todd Bowles the keys to call various formations and looks.

What Will The Bucs Do In The Secondary?

Backup safety Christian Izien already had to come into Sunday’s game and play corner due to the number of injuries at the position. He may have to go back to his more natural position if Winfield isn’t able to play next week against the Lions.

Bucs DB Christian Izien – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Bucs have a lot of juggling to do. They’ll likely have to sign a corner outside of the organization just to keep Izien at safety. They also have Tavierre Thomas, who can play everywhere to a degree and Kaevon Merriweather, who is more of a backup to Jordan Whitehead at strong safety.

Tampa Bay also has starting slot corner Tykee Smith, who played safety at Georgia. It might be best to not mess with the rookie’s development and keep him in that spot.

Bowles will have time this week to figure out how he wants to align his defense to face a Lions opponent that has gotten the better of his defenses in two matchups last season.

Heading into the year, the Bucs bolstered its secondary with the addition of cornerbacks Bryce Hall and Tyrek Funderburk, Whitehead, Smith and Thomas. Nobody expected to see this many players injured that quickly after one game, including Tampa Bay’s best player in Winfield. But that’s the reality that the Bucs face at the moment.