As if the Bucs weren’t already filled with injuries throughout their defense, especially in the secondary, Tampa Bay might have suffered their worst one yet. Following the Bucs’ win over the Commanders 37-20, star All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. was seen with a walking boot on his right leg.

The Bucs had injuries to cornerbacks Zyon McCollum (concussion), Bryce Hall (ankle/leg) and Josh Hayes (ankle) that all forced them to exit the game early. Then, without many even knowing, Winfield got injured, too.

But how did it happen?

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles explained.

Todd Bowles Gives Update On S Antoine Winfield Jr.

“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.”

Bowles was overall pretty vague as he usually is when it came to discussing the many injuries on the Bucs, including Antoine Winfield Jr. He at least was able to confirm that Winfield wore a boot after the game.

“Obviously Win was in a boot,” Bowles said. “We’ll see about him later in the week.”

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

There’s no question about it that this would be a huge blow for the Bucs already on top of the several injuries that they’re dealing with, 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 safety Antoine Winfield Jr. – Photo by: USA Today

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.

Based on what Bowles said during his press conference, it sounds like Winfield won’t be practicing until hopefully Friday at the end of the week. This will give Bowles time to figure out how he wants to align his defense to face a Lions opponent that has gotten the better of Bowles in two matchups last season.

Heading into the year, the Bucs closed up many of the weaknesses they had on their defenses. 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.