There was a heavy Bucs connection when former Tampa Bay Super Bowl XXXVII MVP Dexter Jackson shared his opinion on some of the best players in the league. Jackson, who played six of his 10 NFL seasons with the Bucs, helping them win their inaugural championship in 2002, has seen a lot of good football in his day and certainly knows a thing or two about succeeding in the secondary.
Speaking in an interview with Ben Mendelowitz on RotoGrinders.com, Jackson was asked about who he thinks is the best defensive back in the game today. He had two answers with one for cornerback and the other at safety.
The response for cornerback was Sauce Gardner of the Jets. His answer for the latter may come off as a homer pick, but it’s hard to argue as well. Jackson claimed that Tampa Bay safety Antoine Winfield Jr. was the best in the league.
Dexter Jackson Names Antoine Winfield Jr. As Best Safety
“As a safety, Antoine Winfield Jr,” Dexter Jackson said. “He was injured last year, but when he’s healthy, he’s an All-Pro. Sacks, interceptions, big hits, fumbles forced, fumbles recovered…he can do it all.
“If he can get back to the level he was playing at in 2023, he’ll be the best safety in the NFL. The Bucs offense will put up points, which means as a safety on the other side, you’re going to have the opportunity to make splash plays, like interceptions, while other offenses try to keep up.”
Bucs FS Antoine Winfield Jr. – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
Winfield is coming off of a down year, but as Jackson pointed out, it was due to multiple injuries. In nine games he recorded 60 tackles, two sacks, three pass breakups, one fumble recovery and a defensive touchdown on a scoop and score against the Saints in Week 6. The numbers were considered pedestrian for the 2024 seasons when considering his All-Pro season in 2023 consisted of playing in all 17 games with 122 tackles, six sacks, 12 pass breakups, six interceptions, a league leading six forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.
Having Winfield bounce back this season in 2025 should be expected. Automatically signing him up to duplicate the numbers he did two seasons ago is far fetched, too. The team just needs Winfield to play at a high level and really just be available. If he can do so, it will correct many of the issues that Tampa Bay had defensively.
Plus, adding in the acquisitions in the secondary that the team made this offseason should put the Bucs in a much better spot.
Dexter Jackson Impressed By Bucs’ Offseason Moves
Speaking of the offseason moves that Tampa Bay made, former safety Dexter Jackson was a fan of those as well. He was pleased with how the team continues to build its roster towards becoming another Super Bowl contender.
Bucs Super Bowl XXXVII MVP FS Dexter Jackson – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
“They got a great receiver in the first round to add to an already great receiving group,” Jackson said. “They added two cornerbacks (Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish) and a [outside] linebacker (David Walker) with their next three picks, which were all positions of great need.While it’s hard to say if all these picks will work out, they definitely did a good job of picking players in positions they needed. Hopefully, they turn out to be the correct choice.
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
“Baker Mayfield is coming off arguably his best ever year, and they managed to restructure his contract while keeping hold of [Chris] Godwin too. So, I think the Bucs had a great offseason because I watched them a lot and I could see what their needs were, and they did a great job filling those needs.
Check out the entire interview with Jackson as he answers questions about other players and what’s going on in the NFL by clicking this link.