Buccaneers' Star Safety Snubbed Again, This Time As All-Pro First Team Selection
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have reached the playoffs for the fourth season in a row and have won the NFC South in three consecutive seasons as well. This season, however, things changed from a personnel standpoint - new players, new coaches, no Tom Brady - but one thing has remained the same over the recent seasons and that has been the play of safety Antoine Winfield Jr.
After being drafted in the second round of the 2020 draft out of Minnesota, AWJ quickly caught on in the Bucs' secondary and near the end of his rookie season he became a force to reckon with. He has played high-level ball thus far into his career, but during the 2023 season Tweeze has upped his game to a whole nother level.
Heading into the Wild Card matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, Winfield Jr. has compiled 122 total tackles, 6 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, and 3 interceptions. Just absolutely destroying defenses as a one man wrecking crew and without him this Bucs' team likely wouldn't be in the position they are in today.
Despite his gaudy numbers playing from the safety position, Antoine Winfield Jr. wasn't even voted in as a Pro-Bowler this season. And now, he has once again been snubbed; this time as his own peers left him out as a First Team All-Pro.
Atlanta's Jessie Bates and Baltimore's Kyle Hamilton both got the nod over AWJ, and not to take away from the fantastic seasons that those two are both having, but they aren't even remotely close to putting up the stats or mean as much to their team as Winfield has to the Buccaneers.
It really is saddening to see a player not get his flowers for his performance on the field, but another Buccaneers' player, WR Mike Evans, is familiar with this.
Individual awards are just that and the end goal in the NFL is to win Championships, however, being snubbed multiple times likely will leave a sour taste in Tweeze's mouth leading to a chip on his shoulder.
Stick with BucsGameday and the Locked On Bucs podcast for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2023 season.
