Well, it didn’t take long for the injury bug to hit Tampa Bay in 2024. Buccaneers’ star safety Antoine Winfield Jr. stayed in the game during week one’s win against the Washington Commanders but left the stadium in a soft walking boot.

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According to NFL Insider Jordan Schultz, Winfield will “miss a couple of weeks” with an ankle/foot sprain. Todd Bowles told media earlier the injury occurred in one of the last two plays of regulation and Winfield wasn’t available for onside recovery team duties to end the game.

This doesn’t seem to be the worst-case scenario for the Bucs’, as it’s week one and they’ll need their star for the better part of the season. But lingering injuries to DB’s Zyon McCollum, Josh Hayes and Bryce Hall leave the Bucs’ defense searching for answers as to how they’ll line up on Sunday in a tough Detroit Lions match-up.

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We should learn more about the Bucs' injuries as the week rolls on. This report by Schultz comes hours after Todd Bowles told Tampa Bay media, “we’ll see about him later on in the week.” So although Winfield is not ruled out of Sunday’s game, it may be in the Bucs’ best interest to rest their defensive star so he’s able to return back to form at 100%.