The Tampa Bay Buccaneers just took a $250,000 hit. Earlier this year, they made a clear statement about rookie quarterback Michael Pratt’s future, locking him in with a two-year deal and a big $250k signing bonus. Fast forward, and that gamble has backfired. While injuries affected Pratt’s growth, keeping him from making the strides, another setback has hit.
On Tuesday, the Bucs pulled the trigger, waiving Pratt with an injury designation to free up space. And just when it feels like that’s the end of the bad news… well, Todd Bowles’ hefty week is only getting started. A report on X dropped the news “#Bucs safety Antoine Winfield Jr. is dealing with hamstring tightness.” And the team’s just treading lightly with their All-Pro playmaker. For Tampa, Antoine Winfield Jr. isn’t just another name on the injury list. Winfield’s been the heartbeat of the secondary since he set foot in the league.
#Bucs S Antoine Winfield Jr. has hamstring tightness and the team is being very careful with their All Pro safety. Pretty good news considering.
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) August 14, 2025
He has been the guy Bowles builds his defensive calls around. Sure, 2024 wasn’t kind to him — a foot injury and nagging knee issues kept him to just nine regular-season games — but his value never dipped. In fact, just this June, Bowles went out of his way to praise Winfield’s offseason grind, saying he looked in “great” shape. Well, he was the very bit the leader they needed. That’s what makes this sting even more.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned!
The post Buccaneers Safety Injured in Bad News for Todd Bowles as Shilo Sanders’ NFL Debut Shows Promise appeared first on EssentiallySports.