Antoine Winfield Jr. injury update: Severity of ankle sprain, timetable revealed for Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety, per report
Tampa Bay Buccaneers All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. will be out for a couple of weeks after suffering an ankle/foot sprain in Sunday’s 37-20 Week 1 victory over the Washington Commanders, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz.
Winfield, 26, was seen in a walking boot on his right leg after the game. Head coach Todd Bowles revealed Monday that Winfield sustained the injury late in the fourth quarter.
“He got hurt on one of the last two plays of the game in regulation,” Bowles said, via Pewter Report. “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.”
Winfield was one of several Buccaneers to go down with injuries in Sunday’s season opener. Cornerbacks Zyon McCollum (concussion), Bryce Hall (ankle/leg) and Josh Hayes (ankle) all left the game due to injury. Hall suffered a dislocated right ankle and fractured fibula and will likely miss the remainder of the season.
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Buccaneers lose Antoine Winfield Jr., other key defenders in Week 1 win over Commanders
That leaves quite the hole in Tampa Bay’s secondary going against the high-powered Detroit Lions offense this coming Sunday. The Buccaneers are also thin on their defensive line, with Calijah Kancey (calf) and Logan Hall (foot) sidelined during Week 1.
Winfield is coming off his best season to date, tallying 122 tackles (76 solo), 12 passes defended, three interceptions and a league leading six forced fumbles. He earned First-Team All-Pro honors and finished sixth in AP Defensive Player of the Year Award voting. The Buccaneers rewarded him this offseason with a four-year, $84.1 million extension.
Winfield accumulated seven tackles (four solo) in the win over Washington.