The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have plenty to clean up on defense, but one part of the unit still gives them something real to hang their hat on: the safety pairing of Antoine Winfield Jr. and Tykee Smith.
That’s why Sports Illustrated’s latest ranking stings a little for Tampa Bay. The outlet left the Buccaneers’ duo out of its top five safety tandems heading into the 2026 season, even though Smith and Winfield have been one of the clearest strengths on the roster. It also put NFC South rival Atlanta Falcons at No. 1, which only adds to the irritation for Bucs fans.
Winfield is coming off what the source describes as not his best season, and he’ll have to push back on the “overrated” talk in 2026. Still, the point remains: you can’t be called overrated unless people have already rated you highly, and at his peak, Winfield has been one of the league’s best safeties.
Smith, meanwhile, was even better. His game stands out in run support, and he has a knack for delivering big tackles the way the classic Tampa Bay safeties used to. Together, the two give the Buccaneers a hard-nosed back end that should have been recognized.
Sports Illustrated’s list did include the Cincinnati Bengals duo of Jordan Battle and Bryan Cook, a choice that Bucs fans will certainly question. But there is room to understand the ranking, too. Winfield’s down year makes the omission easier to justify on paper, even if it still feels like a miss.
Either way, the snub gives both players, especially Winfield, another reason to come out swinging under Todd Bowles in 2026.
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