Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2022 Free Agent Profile: Safety Jordan Whitehead

Analyzing Tampa Bay safety Jordan Whitehead's free agency as he is slated to draw a competitive market for his services this offseason.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in addition to replacing the greatest quarterback of all time, are tasked with addressing the status of 26 free agents this offseason, including 10 starters.

Due to a lack of significant cap space — currently hovering just over $3 million, per Over the Cap — it won't be easy, if even possible, for the Bucs to bring all 26 players back, or even all of their first-teamers who are set to hit the market.

AllBucs is creating profiles for each of Tampa Bay's imminent free agents for the 2022 offseason. After examining the positions of wide receiver Chris Godwin, cornerback Carlton Davis III, running back Leonard Fournette, outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul and tight end Rob Gronkowski on the market, we now shift our attention to rising fifth-year safety Jordan Whitehead.

We'll discuss the value each player provides the team and try our best to predict whether or not Tampa Bay will prioritize bringing them back.

Safety Jordan Whitehead

2021 stats (playoffs included): 16 games, 86 tackles, eight pass breakups, seven TFLs, two interceptions and one forced fumble

Previous contract: Four years, $3.1 million

Spotrac market value and projected contract: $7.8 million annually; three years, $23.6 million

If front office members around the league can overlook size and value productivity foremost, safety Jordan Whitehead will draw a competitive market this offseason.

One of the most underrated players on the list of Bucs slated to become free agents during the 2022 offseason is Whitehead. Overshadowed by the promise shown by his flashy counterpart in the third level of the Buccaneers defense, Antoine Winfield Jr, at times, Whitehead has been a quiet, but valuable, piece to Tampa Bay's success in the two years of title contention with Tom Brady at the helm.

Drafted by the Buccaneers in the fourth round in 2018, Whitehead turned heads during his rookie camp as a player that could contribute almost immediately in rotation with the team's starters on defense.

After spending the first four games of his career as a reserve, the safety stepped into a starting role as a rookie, replacing injured safety Chris Conte on Oct. 14, 2018, against the Atlanta Falcons. Excelling when given the opportunity to prove himself, Whitehead earned the nod to remain as a starter for the next 55 regular-season games and six playoff contests of his career.

During that time, Whitehead proved to be a consistent weapon on the backend of the Bucs defense.

Showcasing a knack for playing downhill against the run, Whitehead's strength – as noticed in his predraft process – comes when operating with free range to deliver punishing blows on ball carriers who escape through gaps along the defensive line. His physicality culminates in his willingness to throw his body around to make plays, a trait that will undoubtedly pop out to franchises browsing the market for an immediate fix at safety this offseason.

As a coverage man, Whitehead's background as a cornerback out of high school supplies him with the natural ability to contest balls thrown in his direction – despite his undersized frame at 5-foot-10, 198 pounds – to the table.

In 2021, the former Pittsburgh Panther allowed a passer rating of 62.6 to opposing quarterbacks, one of the best marks among safeties in the NFL.

Another valuable trait that will have him as a coveted mid-level free agent is his toughness to battle through injuries. The most prominent example was his decision to play with a torn labrum and additional shoulder damage in Super LV, where he saw 68% of defensive snaps to supplement the Bucs masterclass performance to take away passing lanes from Patrick Mahomes and effectively halt the Chiefs high octane offense.

The talented defender is slated to garner a hefty price tag compared to other safeties in this free agency class, meaning a second multi-year contract in Tampa seems unlikely.

However, given Whitehead's experience and dependability in the Bucs secondary, losing him would be a tough pill for Tampa Bay to swallow as they attempt to fill other notable holes across the roster. Working out a deal to keep the homegrown safety talent in Tampa Bay should be a starred task on general manager Jason Licht's offseason to-do list.

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