The debate over Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota remains unsettled

The decision of which quarterback from the 2015 NFL Draft—Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota—somehow remains unsettled four seasons later.

There are two typical outcomes for an NFL Draft class with competing quarterbacks atop of it. Either one player makes a mockery of any real competition, leaving the other in his statistical wake, or both players end up turning out to be franchise quarterbacks, making everyone happy with their investments.

Four full seasons after the 2015 NFL Draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans remain uncertain which quarterback is the better of the two. Hell, they still aren’t even sure whether or not Winston or Mariota are real franchise quarterbacks.

While previous 1-2 punches left a clear victor (Jim Plunkett over Archie Manning in ’71, Peyton Manning over Ryan Leaf in ’98, Donovan McNabb over Tim Couch in ’99, Andrew Luck over RGIII in 2012) or at least two happy teams (Jared Goff and Carson Wentz in ’17), the Bucs and Titans still aren’t sure how to go about their long-term plans.

It sounds a bit odd to say the verdict is still out on a quarterback after four years, but so it goes for Winston and Mariota. Both quarterbacks have been productive enough for those in power to believe, yet they also come with warning signs that they might never fully take command as expected.

Let’s start with some basic numbers. Both Winston and Mariota have 56 games of experience (Mariota has one more start with 55 than Winston’s 44) between them. The numbers break down like this, with Winston’s stats listed first since he was honored enough to be selected No. 1 overall in the draft.

• Won-Loss Record: 21-33 v. 27-28
• Touchdown Passes: 88 v. 69
• Interceptions Thrown: 58 v. 42
• Completion Rate: 61.6% v. 63.2%
• Passer Rating: 87.8 v. 89.4

While the fans rooting for these respective teams might have slanted opinions stating otherwise, the reality is that neither quarterback can claim supremacy over the other. Even more frustrating for both parties is that neither quarterback has firm footing in his starting role, as both quarterbacks are entering contract seasons.

A Closer Look at Winston

For Winston, it feels like it’s the proverbial one step forward and two steps back. Winston will showcase the beautiful arm and playmaking ability that earned him No. 1 status, only to fall prey to careless mistakes or, even worse, off the field incidents. Just last year, Winston was suspended three games for violating the league’s personal conduct policy after an Uber driver claimed Winston groped her.

Even when he played, he was benched for Ryan Fitzpatrick approaching midseason due to too many turnovers. (We all know full well that Fitzmagic is a recipe for long-term success at quarterback.)

But here’s the rub: when Winston is on, he’s as productive as most upper-tier quarterbacks in the NFL. Last season, he came on strong in the final seven games of the season to throw 13 touchdowns and only four interceptions. It was as if a light came on and the game started clicking. Then, just like that, the coaching staff changes once again.

A Closer Look at Mariota

While there are legitimate questions about Winston’s actual playing ability, Mariota has a concern just as valid: his availability. It sounds wrong to say the two have played the same amount of games, because it seems as if Mariota is injured on a consistent basis.

When healthy, Mariota is an accurate quarterback who is also a defender’s nightmare to rein in. A real threat to run at any time, Mariota is a quarterback who must be respected by all three levels of an opposing defense. Unfortunately, having Mariota as your starting quarterback means that backups like Zach Mettenberger, Matt Cassel, and Blaine Gabbert are also getting meaningful reps.

Even then, when Mariota is on the field, there have been stretches where he’s looked dull. In 2017 he started 15 games and threw 13 touchdowns against 15 interceptions. Last year, he threw only 11 touchdowns and had eight interceptions.

Some of this has come down to dropped passes and/or the Titans’ poor offensive play calling in years past, but at some point you have to wonder about Mariota’s ability to carry his team. After all, Patrick Mahomes had exactly as many touchdowns in 2018 as Mariota has had in the last three seasons.

Hope for the Future

Fortunately, there’s good reason for both fanbases to hold out hope.

For Winston, a dream come true of a head coach has arrived in Bruce Arians. If anyone is going to be able to unlock Winston’s potential and help him develop his accuracy, it will be the former Cardinals head coach who has worked wonders with strong arms in the past (e.g. Carson Palmer, who went to his first Pro Bowl in nine seasons once he started working with Arians again in the desert).

Mike Evans and O.J. Howard are two elite targets, and Chris Godwin and Cameron Brate are also reliable targets to form a very competent offensive core. Some draft attention at running back and offensive line could work wonders for this entire unit very quickly. The Bucs have more needs than draft assets, but the offense, at least, could start clicking sooner than later. And remember, Winston looked sharp as ever down the stretch in 2018.

For Mariota, the targets are finally developing around him even as the coaching staff is getting smarter. Derrick Henry is going to finally get his chance to be a bell cow, which should take a load off of Mariota, to be sure. It also helps to have former first round pick Corey Davis starting the resemble the prospect taken at No. 5 overall in 2017.

The Titans also bolstered a couple key positions in free agency with the signing of former Rams offensive lineman Rodger Saffold and former Bucs slot receiver Adam Humphries. Together they provide reliable production and valuable depth for a team that needed both in those key spots.

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More than anything, Mariota now faces some legitimate competition for his job. The Titans will, of course, give every opportunity to Mariota to be the franchise quarterback in 2019 and beyond, given their time and investment, but a trade for Ryan Tannehill has upgraded the backup role considerably. Tannehill might have worn out his welcome in South Florida, but the competition he provides for Mariota in a season where there’s a lot of money to be made is a very smart mental investment by General Manager Jon Robinson.

Given the contractual situations for each player, the cloud of uncertainty surrounding both Winston and Mariota will be cleared up sometime in the next several months. For now, however, there’s no clear winner—or loser. It’s an odd scenario that apparently needs yet another season to determine if there’s any victor to be named here at all.