The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have only signed one outside free agent so far this offseason, and even that is stretching the term.
After two years with the New York Jets, safety Jordan Whitehead is back with the Bucs on a new two-year deal. A fourth-round pick out of Pitt in the 2018 NFL draft, Whitehead spent his first four NFL seasons in Tampa Bay, and was a key piece of the Bucs’ Super Bowl team in 2020.
Now, he returns to a Bucs defense that desperately needs an upgrade at safety across from first-team All-Pro Antoine Winfield Jr., and his experience in Todd Bowles’ scheme should make it feel like he never left.
Despite his undersized frame, Whitehead is a hard-hitting presence in the secondary, and does some of his best work in the trenches:
Jordan Whitehead heads back to Tampa after setting career highs in run tackles (61) and run stops (32) last season with the Jets.
Whitehead will reunite with Antoine Winfield, who led all safeties with -32.9 run stop EPA in 2023.#GoBucs https://t.co/TjrbWVitEz pic.twitter.com/KXMTfOSGuQ
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) March 14, 2024
He also knows how to create big plays, just like Winfield:
— jordan whitehead (@jwhite_333) March 14, 2024
Whitehead should provide a huge boost after Ryan Neal and the rest of Tampa Bay’s safety depth failed to impress last season, and it should be just like old times for Winfield and the Bucs defense with him back in the fold.
