Antoine Winfield (ribs) to miss 2-4 weeks

He and Lavonte David (knee/rib) both upgraded to full practices on Friday and were removed from the report. The Buccaneers will have their back-seven leaders ready for a divisional matchup against the Saints.

It seems like, with Wednesday’s practice being a walkthrough, the Buccaneers opted to go easy on some of their veterans. Lavonte David (knee/rib) and Winfield both upgraded from DNPs to limited sessions on Thursday, putting them in line to play. The same can’t be said for EDGE Haason Reddick (ankle/knee), who remained a DNP and could be in line to miss more weeks. We’re a little surprised Todd Bowles didn’t rule out Reddick when he said that Bucky Irving and Chris Godwin weren’t going to play this week, but he did say they were still waiting for the results of his MRI when asked about it on Wednesday.

Several Tampa Bay defenders did not practice on Wednesday. Lavonte David and Antoine Winfield are among the most notable names on the list. David is dealing with knee and rib issues while Winfield has a toe injury. Coming off a Monday night game, the Bucs might be giving their veterans some maintenance days because of the short week. Still, it’s notable just how many big names they have on the injury report. A banged-up Bucs defense could help Spencer Rattler get back on track after throwing three interceptions in Week 7.

Winfield had a $21 million base salary that was shifted to a minimum salary and bonus, with the Bucs also adding a void year. He signed a four-year, $84.1 million contract last offseason and now Tampa Bay frees up $15.86 million in cap space for 2025 by restructuring a contract that ends in 2027. The Bucs also restructured WR Mike Evans’ contract, though it was not for any cap savings. Evans had some compensation moved forward to pay him sooner, but cap space was not created.

Otton is one of five players who entered the weekend listed as questionable who are expected to play on Sunday night. The third-year tight end who broke out for 59-600-4 in 14 games this season has missed the last three weeks due to a knee injury but will be back in the mix on Sunday night, barring anything unexpected. In addition to Otton, safeties Antoine Winfield Jr., and Mike Edwards, along with cornerback Jamel Dean, and defensive end Logan Hall are also expected to play despite being listed as questionable.

The Bucs will also have Jamel Dean back in the lineup after Dean missed Week 18’s game with a knee injury. Winfield, who hasn’t played since Week 14, is also returning from a knee injury, providing two immediate boosts to a secondary ahead of the Buccaneers’ biggest game of the season.

Winfield has been unable to suit up on game day since suffering the knee injury in Week 14 and his return could prove pivotal in a potentially high-scoring game against the Commanders. Winfield returned to practice in a limited capacity last week so his continued improvement is a great sign.

Head coach Todd Bowles said Otton, along with wide receiver Sterling Shepard (hamstring/foot) and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (knee) will also miss Week 17’s contest. The Buccaneers find themselves in a must-win situation against the Panthers if they hope to keep their playoff hopes alive. The absence of Otton and Shepard should lead to an increased target share for Jalen McMillan, who has found the end zone in three straight games, and will also open the door for Payne Durham to make another start. Durham caught 5-of-7 targets for 29 yards in last week’s loss to the Cowboys, but will be hard to trust as anything more than a boom-or-bust TE2 against the Panthers.

Winfield will miss his second-straight game with a knee injury he suffered in Week 14. This news shouldn’t come as much of a surprise after head coach Todd Bowles announced shortly after the injury that Winfield would miss “a couple of games.” Safety Kaevon Merriweather played in place of Winfield in last week’s win over the Chargers and should once again slot in as the starter this week.

Winfield suffered a knee injury in Week 14, leading head coach Todd Bowles to surmise that he would miss a “couple of games” with a sprained knee. He did indeed miss Week 15, and is tracking to miss Week 16 as well. It would be a surprise for him to return against the Cowboys, but his next chance to play will be Week 17 against the Panthers.