After weeks and weeks of wondering when Bucs safety Jordan Whitehead would return to practice, we finally have our answer. Whitehead was back on the practice field with his teammates on Wednesday, this time as a participant and not as a spectator.

Recovering from surgery during the offseason after a torn labrum last year, Whitehead was then hit with COVID right before training camp. Once he returned, a hamstring injury quickly sidelined the veteran safety for the rest of the preseason.

The injury was so significant that it also forced Whitehead to miss the Bucs’ first game of the season when they defeated the Cowboys, 31-29.

Head coach Bruce Arians said that Whitehead was about ninety percent on Tuesday, but practicing in live action would determine a lot.

Getting Whitehead back in the fold is a big upgrade for the Bucs’ secondary, who just lost cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting for a minimum of four weeks and potentially the rest of the season. This allows the Bucs the option to use fellow safety Mike Edwards at the nickel position, as well as Ross Cockrell.

Whitehead could make his 2021 debut on Sunday at 4:05 PM, when the Bucs host the Falcons in Week 2.