The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got gashed last year in the secondary and it’s not hard to see where the drop off occurred — essentially whenever NFL All-Pro Antoine Winfield Jr. wasn’t in the lineup.
With Winfield missing a career high 8 games in 2024, we got to see the Buccaneers defensive backs lit up like a Christmas tree. With Winfield back in 2025, the defense seems like they can play with anyone.
All apologies to cornerbacks Jamel Dean and Zyon McCollum, but Winfield is the only true difference maker.
That means the Buccaneers just need to keep somewhat competent players around Winfield to keep that level up. After safety Rashad Wisdom was placed on injured reserve after hurting his quad in a Week 4 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Buccaneers moved quickly to sign former University of Iowa safety Sebastian Castro to the active roster.
To fill the resulting roster spot and the new hole in their secondary, the Buccaneers signed rookie safety Sebastian Castro off the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ practice squad,” Buccaneers.com’s Scott Smith wrote on September 30. “In addition, the team placed practice squad defensive lineman Jayson Jones on injured reserve and signed former Baltimore Ravens cornerback Damarion Williams to the practice squad.”
Castro Starred in Big Ten Alongside DeJean, Moss
How talented was the Iowa secondary in 2022?
Alongside with Castro, the Hawkeyes had 2 more future NFL players in the defensive backfield with Denver Broncos cornerback Riley Moss and Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean.
“Bucs do love @HawkeyeFootball — new safety Sebastian Castro played at Iowa, much like Wirfs, Nelson, Merriweather, Jackson, et al.,” Fox Sports NFL reporter Greg Auman wrote on September 30. Signed with Steelers after draft and now plucked off their practice squad. Will help on special teams.”
Castro, 5-foot-11 and 203 pounds, was a 2-time All-Big Ten pick in 2023 and 2024 and earned All-American honors in 2023 after he led the Hawkeyes with 3 interceptions, including 1 returned for a touchdown. He underwhelmed at the NFL scouting combine, where he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.59 seconds, went undrafted and wound up on the Steelers practice squad.
NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein had Castro projected as a seventh round pick or preferred free agent in his pre-draft evaluation.
” … Plays with chaotic energy near the line of scrimmage,” Zierlein wrote. “Castro plays with urgency from short zone and rushes downhill to set a contain edge and spackle missing run fits as a run defender. A lack of versatility and his age (turns 25 in October) could work against him in the draft, but his physicality, field demeanor and special-teams utility create roster value in his favor as a down safety.”
Buccaneers Have Staved Off Key Injuries on Defense
While the Buccaneers are 3-1, they’ve done so despite seeing their offense seemingly hit with one key injury after another.
Through the first 4 games, the NFL All-Pro trio of left offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs, wide receiver Mike Evans and wide receiver Chris Godwin have missed a total of 7 games, with Wirfs and Godwin both looking rusty in a loss to the Eagles in Week 4.
The Buccaneers also have one starting offensive lineman lost for the season with guard Cody Mauch (knee) and another, right offensive tackle Luke Goedeke (foot), on the injured reserve.