The Bucs have a long list of players who can be characterized as X-Factors heading into this season. Among them, safety Antoine Winfield Jr. is near the top of the list. It might feel like forever ago that Winfield was in consideration to be the NFL’s best player at his position. After a sensational All-Pro year in 2023, injuries and adjustments to the defensive scheme have prevented him from reaching similar heights.

While everyone knows what Winfield is capable of at his best, what did league executives, coaches, and scouts have to say about ranking him? ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler broke it down on Thursday morning.

Antoine Winfield Jr. Remains 7th-Best Safety In The NFL

ESPN has done a position-by-position series ranking the league’s top 10 players, while also noting honorable mentions and players who received votes. While it has been tough sledding for Bucs players to make these respective lists, Antoine Winfield’s reputation and abilities still put him among the upper echelon of NFL safeties.

Bucs FS Antoine Winfield Jr. – Photo by: IMAGN Images

The details of the rankings, as explained by Jeremy Fowler, are that voters gave their own top 10 players at a position, which was then compiled and ranked based on the number of top 10 votes, composite average and dozens of interviews, as well as research and film study. More than 70 voters submitted a ballot on at least one position, and in many cases all positions.

With that large of a sample size, it is notable how the league views Winfield. He ranked as high as second among those 70 voters, while he went completely unranked by other voters. The consensus ranking puts him as the seventh best, placing behind Nick Emmanwori but ahead of Budda Baker. Here is what was said about him:

Winfield, a former No. 1 safety, had an injury-riddled 2024 but got back on the Pro Bowl track this past season. He played mostly in a traditional, deep-safety role — Tampa Bay had deployed him as a slot corner at times in the past — and produced a 22.9% ball hawk rate (eight pass breakups on 35 targets as the nearest defender, per NFL Next Gen Stats) along with two interceptions and one sack.

Bucs S Antoine Winfield Jr. and Jets QB Tyrod Taylor – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“He’s just so well-rounded and a very consistent player when he’s out there,” an AFC exec said. “Can blitz, cover, rare instincts and always around the ball.”

Winfield battled lower leg injuries early in the 2025 season but still played 17 games. And Tampa Bay felt he sacrificed last season because playing deep hurt the production he would normally have closer to the line of scrimmage.

Since 2023, Winfield is one of two NFL players (Buffalo’s Terrel Bernard) to record at least five interceptions and five fumble recoveries.

Seventh feels like an appropriate middle ground. Winfield has not looked like the league’s best safety since his All-Pro campaign, but few defensive backs possess his versatility or game-changing instincts when healthy.

He remained a Pro Bowler in 2025, recording 93 tackles, eight passes defensed, two interceptions, and a sack. His knack for the football flashed in spurts, but it is not all because his well-rounded talents have vanished. With Tampa Bay’s defense struggling last year, he was asked to play deep and not as close to the football where his playmaking shines.

The hope for Antoine Winfield Jr. is that he can bounce back and get closer to being an All-Pro and more than just a good player. For the Bucs to improve defensively, they need him to be great in 2026 and beyond. With inside linebacker Lavonte David retired and defensive tackle Vita Vea in his thirties and in a contract year, Winfield is the lone captain signed long-term.

Tampa Bay needs a leader and big-time playmaker on defense to emerge, which could be the re-emergence of No. 31.