TAMPA, Fla. — Bucs safety Jordan Whitehead was injured significantly enough during an automobile accident on his way to practice Saturday morning that the team placed him on the reserve/non-football injury list.

Whitehead is expected to make a full recovery but will miss several weeks, if he is able to return at all this season.

It’s a major blow for the Bucs, who already will be without safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and cornerback Jamel Dean for Sunday’s game against the Saints.

Safety Ryan Neal was signed from the practice squad to take Whitehead’s spot on the 53-man roster. Mike Edwards and Kaevon Merriweather likely will start at safety.

The Bucs need to beat New Orleans or hope that Carolina wins at Atlanta in order to clinch the NFC South for a fourth straight season.

Whitehead, 27, was part of the Bucs’ Super Bowl 55 championship team but left as a free agent after the 2021 season and spent the previous two seasons with the Jets.

The Bucs brought him back as an unrestricted free agent, signing him to a two-year, $9 million contract in March.

The Bucs were excited about reuniting Whitehead with Winfield, who became the highest-paid defensive back in the NFL when he agreed to a four-year, $84.1 million contract in May.

But the two have seldom been on the field together.

Winfield has played in only nine games this season due to ankle and knee injuries. Whitehead has 79 tackles, three passes defensed and no interceptions in 12 games.

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