Coming off a career year and inking a big deal in the offseason, Bucs safety Antoine Winfield Jr. said that he was aiming to be better than he was before. After doing so much for Tampa Bay’s defense last season though, it has not gone according to plan for Winfield or the team through 10 games this season.

The All-Pro defensive back has not replicated his production last season in the playmaking department and has struggled in terms of tackling. He has unexpectedly regressed, and co-defensive coordinator Larry Foote spoke Monday about how Winfield can climb out of his slump and round back into form down the stretch.

Antoine Winfield Jr. Has Not Been His All-Pro, Playmaking Self

Bucs FS Antoine Winfield Jr. and 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Antoine Winfield Jr. has not looked like his typical playmaking self this season, and one has to wonder if that is due to the ankle/foot sprain that he suffered during the Bucs’ season-opening win over the Commanders. Winfield went on to miss the next four games, not returning until Week 6 against the Saints.

He had his best play of the season in that one, recovering a Spencer Rattler fumble and returning it 58 yards for a touchdown. Outside of that and recording a sack the next week against the Ravens on Monday Night Football, ‘Tweez’ has made few noteworthy plays, although a different camera angle kept him from stripping the ball out of Falcons’ tight end Kyle Pitts’ hand at the goal line back in Week 8.

That pales in comparison to last year when he was a one-man defensive wrecking crew:

2023: 17 games, 122 total tackles, 12 passes defended, six forced fumbles, six sacks, four fumble recoveries, three interceptions

2024: Six games, 48 total tackles, two passes defended, one sack, one fumble recovery

What is most concerning has been Winfield’s tackling. His missed-tackle percentage has increased from 7.9% to 12% (per Pro Football Focus), and after being graded the best safety by PFF out of 95 players last year, he now ranks 80th out of 89 players.

One could (and should) have expected his play to regress slightly, but not to this extent. Maybe he would not be the best safety, but still top-5 or top-10. The fact he has dropped off this much correlates with the Bucs’ defense’s own struggles, and they badly need him to bounce back.

Bucs Co-DC Larry Foote: Antoine Winfield Jr. “Doesn’t Need To Press”

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

Despite his drop-off, co-defensive coordinator Larry Foote still believes in Antoine Winfield Jr. As a former defensive player who went through the ebbs and flows of his own 13-year playing career, Foote knows what it’s like. He paralleled Winfield’s play to that of a slugger looking to break out of a slump.

“You’ve really got to concentrate on everybody getting to the ball – that’s just my belief,” Foote said about Winfield and the team correcting its tackling issues. “Sometimes, kind of like baseball, you go into a slump. Winfield – he hasn’t missed a lot of tackles, and it seems like he’s missed a majority of his tackles in one season than he did through all of his career.

“It’s tough. We’ve got to concentrate. More hats to the ball – it’s tough to bring guys down in this league. We gave up some big plays by some missed tackles, and we all know that. We’ve got to take one more step, we’ve got to harp on the fundamentals – wrapping guys up, keep your head up. The main thing to focus on is getting off of blocks. We need more hats to the ball.”

What helps a baseball player get out of a slump is that one big extra-base hit. That one no-doubt home run. Winfield is more than overdue to make his own big play.

“He’s just got to keep playing,” Foote said about how Winfield can return to form. “Playing the safety position, if the quarterback doesn’t throw you the ball, you might not get that many opportunities. He doesn’t need to press. Everybody has [gone] through slumps in this league missing tackles, but Winfield will be just fine. I know you guys are used to the splash plays, so when they [are not] there, we sound the alarm. He’s doing a lot of good stuff for us. My glaring thing is he’s probably missed more tackles. He’ll fix that going down the road.”

Are Antoine Winfield Jr.’s Struggles Due To Injury?

Bucs S Antoine Winfield Jr. Photo by: USA Today

Could Antoine Winfield Jr.’s struggles stem from his ankle/foot injury back in Week 1? In Week 9, he re-appeared on the injury report with a foot injury and it is likely that he is not been at 100% this season.

“I don’t know – you’ve got to ask him that,” Larry Foote said. “It’s hard to bring guys down in this league – I can speak for that for myself. I’m perfectly healthy, but I’ve missed a tackle that normally I’d make. It’s hard to get guys on the ground. Like I said earlier, I challenged the guys to get off blocks, get more hats to the ball…It’s hard to bring guys down.”

Foote gave a very coach-like answer, but it’s fair to wonder just how much Winfield’s foot injury has been nagging him and made him less explosive. If you’re on the field playing there are no excuses, but it could help explain why he has not been a weekly highlight reel.

If the Bucs want to have any chance of playing playoff football this season, his return to form will be critical. Still, the whole team needs to come out and play over the season’s last seven games. Winning out and going 7-0 would help Tampa Bay secure their playoff fate, and they will likely need to go 6-1 in order to play football deeper into January.

“No matter what, we’re going to be remembered in December and January, so I’m looking forward to him bouncing back,” Foote said.