The Bucs have created a long-awaited reunion between safeties Jordan Whitehead and Antoine Winfield Jr. by re-signing Whitehead this offseason in free agency after he spent two seasons with the New York Jets. The two comprised one of the most formidable safety duos in the NFL from 2020 to 2021 and helped Tampa Bay win Super Bowl LV against Kansas City.

Winfield played centerfield at free safety in Cover 1 and Cover 3 over 70% of the time during that span, while Whitehead was deployed in the box as a strong safety almost for almost 40% of his snaps by Bucs head coach and defensive play-caller Todd Bowles.

Following the 2021 season, Whitehead signed with the Jets and became a part of one of the best defenses in football alongside new Bucs cornerback Bryce Hall and rookie phenom Sauce Gardner, who quickly developed into a Pro Bowl cornerback. Winfield continued to grow into arguably the best safety in football while expanding his repertoire.

Winfield’s usage went from a consistent free safety to versatile jack of all trades. In 2022, Winfield increased his slot percentage from 9% in his first two years to 54% when he was moved to nickelback during that season. Then in 2023, Bowles used Winfield more as a safety than a slot cornerback, and his time in the box increased from from 14% to 20% during an All-Pro season.

Jordan Whitehead Has Proved Himself As A Zone Coverage Safety
Jordan Whitehead went through a similar renaissance in New York with the Jets over the past two years. Over the last two seasons, Whitehead played top-down almost exactly 50% of the time. That’s a 14% increase over his career splits during his first go-round with the Bucs, and 16% higher than when he was teamed with Antoine Winfield Jr.

The Jets run a lot of two-high safety looks in Cover 2 and Quarters coverages. In 2023, New York ranked 22nd in heavy box rates. On second down their rank fell to 23rd. Whitehead thrived in this role as he earned zone coverage grades of 69.1 and 77.9, respectively, while allowing just 0.55 yards per zone coverage rep.

Among all safeties with at least 300 coverage snaps last season Whitehead ranked 19th in zone coverage snaps per reception (24.3).

And he has shown he has ball skills the Bucs secondary has lacked recently. Whitehead recorded a career-high four interceptions last season in New York, including three against Buffalo Pro Bowl quarterback Josh Allen in the 2023 season opener.

Yeah, he's still got it. pic.twitter.com/4htU89xEh1

— Joshua Queipo (@josh_queipo) March 24, 2024

It may be more fun watching it via dots.

Jordan Whitehead INT No. 3!! pic.twitter.com/0dRItUfGbt

— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) September 12, 2023

Whitehead leveled up during his time with the Jets and it didn’t go unnoticed.

Jordan Whitehead plays downhill fast on Stefon Diggs in the #3 spot in a 2nd & 10 Empty formation. Leading to a short gain.

Second half, Bills again with the same concept out of Empty on 2nd & 10. Jets again with the same 5-man pressure. But Diggs has the freedom do that *that*. pic.twitter.com/eL78xP9YQ6

— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) December 15, 2022

Whitehead has done all of this while still performing at a high level as a run defender.

Jordan Whitehead (no. 3) is always so fun to watch track down ball carriers pic.twitter.com/DQ4CSkl9hS

— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) December 15, 2022

Whitehead’s average depth of target last year was 17th among safeties with at least 238 run defense snaps and he had the most defensive stops (20) while finishing Top 10 in stop rate.

Antoine Winfield Jr. Has Ascended Into A Top All-Around Safety
Meanwhile, Antoine Winfield Jr. has proven himself to be great-to-elite in almost every facet of the game. In 2022, when he was used primarily as a slot corner, Winfield finished in the Top 25 in both snaps per target (7.7) and snaps per reception (10.4) while allowing less than one yard per coverage snap.

Then this past year head coach Todd Bowles turned Winfield into a full-on chess piece. The All-Pro’s numbers speak for themselves.

He posted 12 passes defensed, an NFL-leading six forced fumbles, six sacks, three interceptions and 18 pressures – all career highs. Winfield was one of the most impactful defensive players in football en route to an All-Pro nod despite being snubbed for the Pro Bowl.

The Bucs rewarded their second-round pick in 2020 by placing the franchise tag on him, which is worth $17.123 million. Tampa Bay is working towards a long-term contract extension with Winfield this offseason where he is expected to reset the market at $20 million per year.

Antoine Winfield Jr. (@AntoineWJr11) is playing out of his mind right now. Look at this play recognition, closing speed, and innate ability to get the ball out. He should absolutely be a Pro Bowler. RT to throw raise awareness and give him a #ProBowlVote #Bucsfilm2023wk15 pic.twitter.com/JFH2thLdlp

— Steven Cheah (@StevenCheah) December 20, 2023

Winfield’s ability to play centerfield was originally thought to be his superpower. But as it turns out, much like Superman, he has multiple superpowers.

His run defense grades over the past two years ranked second and first, respectively, among all safeties. And he has missed just 12 tackles in 202 opportunities since Whitehead left. That 5.9% missed tackle rate is one most linebackers would covet.

Improved Versatility Could Be Unlocked For Bucs
The improved versatility from both players should allow Todd Bowles the opportunity to use Antoine Winfield Jr. and Jordan Whitehead more than their predefined roles in 2020-2021 where Winfield was the single-high safety and Whitehead was in the box. That’s not to say that Bowles won’t put them in those familiar roles where they thrive. But it won’t limit him.

Winfield is too good near the line of scrimmage to not put him there on a semi-regular basis, especially with his penchant for blitzing and creating sack-fumbles. And with Bowles wanting to get better with the four-man pass rush in 2024, it should put Whitehead deep in two-high looks more. He has more than shown he can play that role well.

This could allow the Bucs to go with more Cover 2, Cover 4 and Cover 2-man looks this season if Bowles wants to go in that direction. All of those would theoretically put the defense in position to create more interceptions going forward.

Could these changes in usage that each player has gone through mean that they will have a different on-field workload in 2024? My guess is yes.