Tag: jordan whitehead

Lavonte David is thrilled with Jordan Whitehead’s return to Bucs

Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David heartily welcomes the return of no-longer-former teammate Jordan Whitehead

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers re-signed all of their big free agents this offseason, but they also brought back another familiar face who spent the past two seasons elsewhere.

Safety Jordan Whitehead signed a two-year deal with the Bucs after playing for the New York Jets over the past two campaigns, returning to the team that drafted him in the fourth round out of Pitt back in 2018.

Now that Whitehead is back in the defense that he helped win a Super Bowl back in 2020, his no-longer-former teammates are thrilled, including linebacker Lavonte David.

“Man, that might be the biggest one back,” David said earlier this week. “Whitehead was a guy who, obviously, I built a personal relationship with. Just having him behind me on the field gave me a whole bunch of confidence, knowing that I could count on Whitehead to do his job. For whatever happened, he didn’t have a chance to come back, but still he was communicating with us about how much he missed us and stuff like that … He wanted to come back here – that was his first priority, so I’m glad [they] were able to get that done.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

David said Whitehead’s value to the team goes far beyond the field, too.

“Whitehead, he is a special guy, not only on the football field, but as a person,” David said. “For me, I’m all about energy and seeing the good in people and stuff like that. I’ve kind of got a sixth sense for that and Whitehead is one of those guys that is a joy to be around as a man and as a teammate. He just brings that type of passion to the game that you love. When you are playing with a guy like Whitehead, you can just look him in the eyes and know that he is ready to play, so you don’t even need to worry about him. Off the field, the way he carries himself and goes about things – he’s a pro’s pro and [those are] the [type] of guys we’ve got to have in this locker room.”

Tampa Bay had a huge need at the other safety spot opposite All-Pro Antoine Winfield Jr., and Whitehead is the perfect fit, just as he was the last time he wore a Bucs uniform.

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Jordan Whitehead talks return to Bucs after 2 years with Jets

Jordan Whitehead talks about his return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after spending the past two seasons with the New York Jets

After two years elsewhere, safety Jordan Whitehead is returning to the team that drafted him.

A fourth-round pick out of Pitt in the 2018 NFL draft, Whitehead spent his first four NFL seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and played a key role in their 2020 Super Bowl team.

Now, after two years with the New York Jets, Whitehead is back in Tampa Bay on a new two-year deal, returning to a defense and a locker room he already knows well.

Check out Whitehead’s press conference from earlier this week, where he discusses his return to Tampa Bay after two years in New York:

 

More details on Jordan Whitehead’s new 2-year deal with Bucs

Get the latest details on the two-year contract between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and safety Jordan Whitehead

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers brought back a familiar face in free agency earlier this week, signing safety Jordan Whitehead to a two-year contract.

Whitehead spent the last two years with the New York Jets, but was a fourth-round pick by the Bucs back in 2018, and spent the first four seasons of his NFL career in Tampa Bay, helping the Bucs win a Super Bowl in 2020.

Teaming up with All-Pro Antoine Winfield Jr. once again, Whitehead should be a huge upgrade for the Bucs at their other safety spot, and we now have more details on the structure of his new contract with Tampa Bay (via Bucs Gameday’s JC Allen):

That’s a low-risk deal for the Bucs, as they can move on after this season without having any dead money on the books.

Hopefully though, Whitehead makes enough of a positive impact to where the Bucs will be willing to pay out the second year of his deal and view it as a bargain.

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Jordan Whitehead hinting at return to Bucs?

The Bucs need help at safety this offseason, and a familiar face might already be hinting at a potential return to Tampa Bay

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have All-Pro Antoine Winfield Jr. at one safety spot, but they’ll need an upgrade at the other one this offseason.

As it happens, a pair of familiar faces at the position are both set to hit free agency next week, and one of them might already be hinting at a return to Tampa Bay.

Jordan Whitehead was drafted by the Bucs in the fourth round back in 2018 out of Pitt, and spent the first four seasons of his career in Tampa Bay, helping the Bucs win a Super Bowl back in 2020.

He posted a highlight of himself in a Bucs uniform Thursday morning:

Current Bucs running back Rachaad White didn’t let the post go unnoticed:

Whitehead obviously has plenty of experience in Todd Bowles’ defense, and continued his splash-play ways over the past two seasons with the New York Jets, even picking off Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen three times in one game.

In our recent offseason preview of the safety position, a potential return for Whitehead or fellow free agent (and former Bucs safety) Mike Edwards from the Kansas City Chiefs were both mentioned as possible strategies for filling one of the team’s biggest needs.

If the Bucs want to bring back Whitehead to play alongside Winfield once more, it’s a move that could definitely make plenty of sense for both sides.

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Ranking 2024’s top 12 free-agent safeties

The 2024 offseason’s top 12 free-agent safeties

The Carolina Panthers probably won’t be hunting down some of the best safeties on the open market this offseason. Heck, they’re likely to depart with a pretty decent-sized name of their own.

Nonetheless, let’s wrap these rankings up and give you the top 12 safeties of free agency.

10 safeties the Colts should target in free agency

Taking a look at some safety options for Indy in free agency.

There are plenty of question marks that surround the safety group for the Indianapolis Colts entering the 2024 offseason.

The first is whether Chris Ballard will re-sign Julian Blackmon. He’s the proven player of the group and if he does depart this offseason, then it would leave a glaring hole on the defense.

There is promise with Nick Cross but it’s a bet on his development this offseason while Rodney Thomas II has to rebound to how he performed his rookie season or he could be fighting for a roster spot.

With or without Blackmon on the roster, a veteran option should be considered by Ballard. The good news is that there is a quality group of safeties set to hit the market.

We should note that we understand a handful of these players won’t even hit the market, but we’re working under the hypothetical scenario that they become available, regardless of how slim the chances are.

If Chris Ballard decides to add to the position group via free agency, here are 10 players that the front office should target.

Estimated value of Jets pending free agents

A look at the estimated values of pending Jets free agents from Over the Cap.

The Jets will soon be entering a very key free-agency period with plenty of their in-house free agents they’ll need to take care of, with edge-rusher Bryce Huff at the top of the list.

The Jets will have to make some moves to add cap space to keep some of these free agents, including restructuring contracts, which they will undoubtedly do in a season in which they are pushing all their chips to the middle of the table.

Here, we’ll take a look at the estimated values of some of the pending free agents for the Jets, including edge Bryce Huff. These aren’t necessarily contract values, just how Over the Cap values the players using their metrics mixed with Pro Football Focus.

6 Jets listed in Matt Bowen’s top 101 skills list

Six Jets players were listed as the best in different skills by ESPN’s Matt Bowen.

NFL players come in all shapes and sizes. They also can vary in skill sets, making the game of football so unique. How teams blend different skill sets can make or break a football team.

Recently, ESPN NFL writer Matt Bowen took a look at 101 players in the league and picked out the best players in a variety of traits — accuracy, pass rush, even blocking kicks. The Jets landed six players on this list and we’ll go through each player and how Bowen views them and their best trait.

6 Jets to watch in Week 12 vs. Dolphins

Here are 6 players from the Jets in the team’s Week 12 matchup against the Dolphins on Friday.

The New York Jets will have a quick turnaround after their 32-6 defeat to the Buffalo Bills in Week 11. For the first time in NFL history, the league will have a game on Black Friday, with the Jets slated to take on the Miami Dolphins at home on primetime.

It has been a forgettable month of November for the Jets, who have lost three straight games to fall to 4-6 on the season. The Jets are currently projected for the 11th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, which isn’t ideal for a team that has their sights on still making the playoffs.

In what is a vital game in terms of a potential miraculous return by Aaron Rodgers late in the season, here are six players from the Jets to watch in Friday’s divisional matchup versus the Dolphins.

Instant analysis as Jets offense rolls craps in Las Vegas, fall to 4-5

Instant analysis as Jets offense rolls craps in Las Vegas, fall to 4-5

The New York Jets found sevens in Las Vegas. It’s too bad they were playing craps and not slots. The offense falls flat yet again, failing to score a touchdown as penalties either wiped out a touchdown or kept the Jets from scoring one. The cherry on top was Zach Wilson’s interception. The Jets lost to the Raiders 16-12 and now sit at 4-5, falling even further down the standings in the AFC, now sitting behind the Raiders and Colts.

Here’s some instant notes and thoughts from the Week 10 loss.