Who is Jameis Winston’s backup?
Jameis Winston is facing a three-game suspension, so who do the Buccaneers have as his backup?
A report Wednesday night surfaced suggesting Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston was expecting a three-game suspension, stemming from an incident with an Uber driver in March of 2016. The hammer came down on Thursday, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter reporting Winston will indeed be suspended for the first three games of the 2018 season.
Schefter couched his report with the possibility of an increase or reduction from the three-game ban since Winston had not officially been notified by the league. An appeal is surely coming, regardless. But for now, let’s assume Winston will miss the first three games, and only the first three games, of the coming season.
The Buccaneers will start their season with a trio of tough games, against the New Orleans Saints on the road and the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers at home. That challenge will be tougher without Winston, but there’s an obvious follow-up question.
Who is Winston’s backup?
Tampa Bay brought back Ryan Fitzpatrick on a one-year deal in March. He played in six games for the Buccaneers last year, including three starts when Winston was out with a shoulder injury. The Harvard grad saw extensive action in four games, the first when Winston was originally injured and threw for at least 275 yards three times. Overall last season he threw for 1,103 yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions while completing just under 59 percent of his passes.
Fitzpatrick has 119 starts on his resume, so without confirmation, he is probably the most experienced backup in the league. Behind him as the Buccaneers No. 3 quarterback right now is Ryan Griffin, who has yet to throw to attempt a regular season pass.
With or without Winston, Tampa Bay is staring at a 0-3 start. But maybe Fitzpatrick can pull some “FitzMagic” out of his beard, and steal a game or two.