Who Was the Buccaneers' Most Improved Player in 2021? PFF Weighs In
Before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 2021 season began, safety Antoine Winfield Jr. told reporters that his focus throughout the offseason was to improve the mental aspect of his game.
The Bucs' second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Winfield has already emerged as a playmaker in Tampa Bay's secondary as a rookie. He put a bow on his rookie campaign with a clutch, fourth-down pass breakup in Super Bowl LV in the fourth quarter against Tyreek Hill, sealing an already-presumed victory for the Buccaneers on their home turf.
Yet, Winfield understood that he had some growing to do in order to become a complete player. And he felt as though he accomplished some growth prior to his second season in Tampa Bay.
"That first year, they throw so many things out at you just learning the scheme and things like that," Winfield said last August. "But after being in the system for a year, I just feel like mentally my game is just sharper and a little bit better than last year so that’s where I feel the best at.”
That offseason development came to fruition in 2021. Despite playing in three fewer regular-season games, Winfield set a new career-high in interceptions (two), fumble recoveries (three) and tackles for loss (four), as well as tied his career-high in passes defended (six) and forced fumbles (two).
As a result, Pro Football Focus has named Winfield as the Buccaneers' most improved player from the 2020 season to the 2021 campaign.
PFF Grade change from 2020 to 2021: 67.2 → 89.1 (+21.9)
Winfield was good as a rookie, given the circumstances, but he took a step forward to top-tier status in his sophomore campaign. His 89.1 PFF grade trailed only Kevin Byard for the best among safeties. Winfield was the only player at the position to earn a grade above 80.0 against the run, as a blitzer and in coverage. He also played the most coverage snaps (676) without a touchdown allowed among safeties.
Per PFF's evaluation, Winfield also lowered his yards per catch allowed from 13.4 to 9.3. And, as pointed out in the quote above, Winfield did not allow a touchdown in coverage in 2021, after giving up two as a rookie.
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