Rising safety Jordan Whitehead inks deal with Jets

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be on the search for a new free safety come the 2022 season as Jordan Whitehead has signed a free agent deal with the New York Jets.

I'm told the terms on the deal for S Jordan Whitehead going to the #Jets is a 2-year deal for $14.5M, per league source.@RichCimini 1st on team selection.
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) March 15, 2022

Josina Anderson laid out the specifics of the deal that Whitehead signed, a 2-year/$14.5 million dollar deal.

For the Jets, they have been working tirelessly to improve a defense, specifically the secondary, that had major issues stopping opposing offenses last season. Whitehead played a tremendous role in the Bucs' secondary last season, highlighted by his impeccable knack for coming down from his safety position to stop the run.

With Whitehead moving on from the team, Tampa Bay will slot in free safety Mike Edwards. Edwards has seen plenty of playing time even when both starting safeties were completely healthy. If he can take a step this upcoming season, the Bucs should be okay in a deep secondary.

However, the loss of Whitehead makes things interesting for the depth of both safety positions. The Bucs can look to add a free agent safety before the deadline or look to work out a trade with another team. Mike Edwards is a versatile player that has played both safety positions, but after him and Antoine Winfield Jr., there is not a whole lot to like.

Even if the Bucs are unable to land a trade or deal with an already established safety in the league, look for the team to pay close attention to defensive backs come the 2022 NFL Draft.

Stick with BucsGameday for coverage on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the offseason.

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