The Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA) today revealed its annual All-Rookie team, with Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and tackle Tristan Wirfs both earning spots on the roster.
Winfield Jr. started all 16 regular season games for Tampa Bay, recording 91 tackles (one for loss), six passes defensed, four quarterback hits, 3.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one interception. Winfield's 3.0 sacks tied for the second-most sacks by an NFL defensive back this season. Among NFL rookies, he ranked fifth in tackles, tied for third in sacks, tied for fifth in passes defensed, tied for fifth in forced fumbles, tied for sixth in fumble recoveries and tied for eighth in interceptions. Winfield joined Jamal Adams as the only defensive backs with 75-or-more tackles and 3.0-plus sacks this season.
Over his first two career playoff games, Winfield has tallied 12 tackles (two for loss) and a forced fumble in the Divisional Round win over the New Orleans Saints.
Wirfs played every offensive snap for the Buccaneers this season, starting all 16 games at right tackle in his rookie campaign. He was part of an offensive line that allowed a sack on 3.51 percent of all pass attempts – the second-lowest mark in the NFL and the second-lowest in team history for a single season. He allowed just one sack in more than 1,000 snaps played this season for an offense that ranked second in passing yards per game (289.1), third in points per game (30.8), seventh in yards per game (384.1) and seventh in yards per play (6.04).
The Buccaneers have now had multiple players on the PFWA All-Rookie team in consecutive seasons after cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting and linebacker Devin White made the roster in 2019. In total, eight players drafted by Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht have earned All-Rookie honors, including five that remain on Tampa Bay's NFC Championship roster.
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