“We’ll go with what we’ve got, we’ve been going with what we’ve got,” Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said on the eve of Thursday’s game. Little did he know that those words were meant to come true.

In a twist of fate that Bucs fans didn’t see coming, safety Jordan Whitehead walked off the field with an injured groin at the end of a nail-biting fourth quarter. The Buccaneers Communications team’s X post said, “Buccaneers S Jordan Whitehead is Questionable to return to today’s game (groin).”

Talk about bad timing. Whitehead’s exit came just as the Falcons knocked on the door, about to tie the game 27-27. And with All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. already watching from the sidelines due to an ankle sprain, the Bucs’ secondary suddenly looked thinner than a piece of Big Red gum.

 

Whitehead was having a productive game day before he left. Five tackles (four solo), as well as a pass defense–not bad at all for somebody who has his game face on. Whitehead acquired 31 tackles (20 solo) and 2 passes defense in the first half of 4 games of the season.

But now that Whitehead has been put into the company with Winfield, attention is being directed to the safety of Kaevon Merriweather. Boy, he’s got his work cut out for him. Merriweather will soon see whether he can hold his own against the big boys–or fish–in this NFL pond.

Whitehead’s homecoming is a bittersweet return

Remember when Whitehead came back to Tampa this summer? It was like a prodigal son coming home. After two years with the Jets where (186 tackles and 6 interceptions) he was a one-man tackling machine, Whitehead had returned full circle.

Bucs GM Jason Licht didn’t beat around the bush about letting Whitehead go in the first place. “With Jordan, it was a mea culpa. We had to draw the line at some point, and I made a mistake. I’m glad we got him back,” Licht confessed during the offseason. Sounds like someone was eating a big slice of humble pie.

Whitehead himself was all smiles about his return. “It’s a home feeling. Coach Bowles is laidback on and off the field,” he said. The guy even set some lofty goals: winning another Super Bowl with the Bucs and snagging a career-high five interceptions. Talk about shooting for the stars.

But now this groin injury throws a wrench in the works. Groin injuries are about as unpredictable as Florida weather. Could be a few days, could be weeks. For a safety who needs to turn on a dime and explode into action, it’s not exactly a walk in the park.

Whitehead was also on a hot streak before this difficult period. In week two, he collected a personal best 11 tackles against the Lions. He seemed like a man possessed out there with his cleats on fire.

So where do the Bucs go from here? Will Bowles need to find a rabbit out of his hat? Not as much zone coverage? Or do you bring pressure? Whatever it is, the Bucs are going to have to put that “next man up” philosophy into play.

Whitehead is probably chomping at the bit to get back on the field. Those dreams of a Super Bowl and goals for interceptions won’t accomplish themselves. For now, though, he’s got to concentrate on getting healthy. After all, you can’t help the team if all you can do is watch from the sidelines.