Bucs Training Camp Battle: Safety
The Buccaneers' safety group may be the weakest on defense, but with no starting spots completely secure, there is still enough talent to make the training camp battle interesting.
The safety most likely to start the season is 2018 third-round pick Jordan Whitehead. Only linebacker Lavonte David and cornerback Carlton Davis played more snaps than Whitehead last season, who was on the field for 81 percent of Tampa's 2019 defensive snaps.
Whitehead is an underrated box safety with tremendous closing speed, making him a great fit for Todd Bowles attacking defense. In fact, Whitehead was one of the best pass-rushing safeties last season according to Pro Football Focus:
Who starts beside Whitehead is a much bigger question. The best bet might be the Bucs' 2020 second-round pick, Antoine Winfield Jr. The son of former NFL cornerback Antoine Winfield, Winfield Jr. was a stud in coverage for the Minnesota Gophers, recording seven interceptions last year.
Given his pedigree and draft position, the Bucs coaching staff is sure to give Winfield every opportunity to make an impact on defense. However, that does not necessarily mean he will start.
His main competition comes from former third-round pick Mike Edwards and fourth-year S Andrew Adams. Aside from Whitehead, Edwards and Adams played the most snaps on defense last year, comprising the bulk of the safety rotation.
Edwards also doubles as a nickel corner so he is likely to maintain a high number of snaps, though less at free safety. Adams has been a reliable option for the Bucs since the 2018 season, collecting five interceptions since joining Tampa Bay.
The one wild card in this scenario is 2017 second-round pick Justin Evans. Sidelined since 2018 with foot injuries, Evans once looked to be the future starting free safety in Tampa Bay.
However, Evans will start the season on the physically-unable-to-perform list. It's a less than ideal start for a player who has not seen the field in two years. If he does make it back, he still has to show that he is capable of professional-quality play.
Given the lack of preseason games this offseason, it will be difficult for any of the Bucs' newer additions at safety to impress the coaching staff enough to win a roster spot. Undrafted free agent Javon Hagan and second-year S D'Cota Dixon face a steep uphill battle make the final roster, but nothing is impossible.
Dixon was on his way to making last year's team before a camp injury ended his season (via the Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud):
Dixon's best shot is to outshine Adams, who does not have the same draft investment as the rest of the safeties ahead of him on the depth chart.
