There will be plenty of moving parts in the Bucs’ secondary this upcoming season.

Tampa Bay drafted cornerbacks Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish, who will compete for starting jobs, while Tykee Smith will make the highly anticipated move back to safety. This will be done with the hope that it leads to more big plays and takeaways, but the backend of the defense will be welcoming its highest-paid member, who is now fully healthy.

Safety Antoine Winfield Jr. did not have the kind of season he or the team expected after signing him to a then-record-setting contract. Shortly after inking his four-year, $84 million deal last year, Winfield stated his motivation to meet the expectations that come with that life-changing payday.

“I’m the type of person [that] I’m never satisfied,” Winfield said then. “My goal every season is to [be] better than I was the previous season. Like Coach [Nick] Rapone always says, ‘To much is given, much is expected.’ I know that coming in. I’m going to be better than I was before. I’m going to train harder than I was before.”

Rapone shared his thoughts on Winfield’s ability to get back to where he was earlier this week and believes better health will lead to a better ‘Tweez.’

Injuries Impacted Antoine Winfield Jr., But His “Body Of Work” Points To A Rebound

Injuries held Antoine Winfield Jr. back from playing in his 2023 form last season. Winfield sustained a foot injury at the end of last season’s season opener that kept him out of action for four games. Then in early December, he suffered a sprained knee injury that left him watching from the sideline for another four games.

Bucs S Antoine Winfield Jr. Photo by: USA Today

It put a dent in Winfield’s play from the start, as he was never truly 100%. Injuries are a part of the game, but it was evident it sapped his playmaking abilities and ultimately wiped-out half of his year.

“It impacted him a lot,” Bucs safeties coach Nick Rapone said on Tuesday. “It impacted him a lot, he only played [nine] games. So if he’s healthy, then I think you see the body of work you’re used to seeing.”

Rapone is optimistic that if Winfield stays on the field, he will return to being more like the player he was during his first four seasons.

“I think if he’s not injured, you see Antoine Winfield,” Rapone said on Tuesday. “Look at his body of work, I think you’ll see his body of work. That’s all.”

Antoine Winfeld Jr. Is Essential In Sparking Bucs’ Secondary Improvement

Known for keeping it short and to the point, Nick Rapone knows a thing or two about getting the most out of his players. The veteran defensive coach has been coaching defensive backs since 1981 and once upon a time was Bucs head coach Todd Bowles’ secondary coach and defensive coordinator during their time together at Temple in the mid-1980s.

Rapone helped to get the most out of Winfield back in 2023, when he earned first-team All-Pro after recording 122 total tackles, six forced fumbles and six sacks, four fumble recoveries, and three interceptions.

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

What has he embedded in the safety’s head to get him to this point?

To be the best Antoine Winfield Jr. he can be.

“If you come in each day, it’s football talk, it’s coach talk but we say, ‘Respect the process,’ Rapone said. “Meaning, at the end of the day, Antoine Winfield can’t be any other safety but Antoine Winfield. I’ll say to him, ‘Are you the best version of Antoine Winfield today?’ If you can go out Wednesday and be the best version of yourself, when you finally get to Sunday, then you play football. We try not to say on Wednesday, ‘Okay, we’re here in a Sunday mode.’ We’re not. We want the best safeties to play on Wednesday. Just be as good as you can be.

“You can’t be any better than that. I mean [Hall of Fame college basketball coach] John Wooden, that was his philosophy for life. Be the best player you can be. I’m not really interested about the opponent because I don’t control the opponent. That’s what respect the process means, you come in Wednesday, what does Wednesday mean? You learn, you look at what Coach Bowles is inserting, you go out there, and you practice it. That’s all.”

Winfield will aim to once again lead the Bucs’ defense and get them back to playing as one of best units in the NFL. Tampa Bay’s pass coverage has waned in recent seasons, but a major overhaul is already underway.

Bucs FS Antoine Winfield Jr., DB Tykee Smith and CB Jamel Dean – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

That means not only getting hands on footballs but catching them. It was a weakness last season that led to only seven interceptions, and Winfield will be a major factor in just how successful they are improving that number in 2025.

“When you look at Winfield, he had three pass breakups,” Rapone said. “All three balls were in his hands. He makes the catch; he has three interceptions. If you just catch what you’re supposed to do, we would’ve had more interceptions. Seven interceptions does not help your football team get off the field. Each year you look back at what your strengths and weaknesses were, and you attempt to get better at it.”