Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 3 Big takeaways from win vs. Eagles in Week 2

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NASHVILLE, TN – AUGUST 18: Quarterback Jameis Winston #3 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rolls away from Jayon Brown #55 of the Tennessee Titans during the first half of a pre-season game at Nissan Stadium on August 18, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images) /

1. Fitzpatrick Will Likely Continue Starting Barring Injury

When a team selects a quarterback in the first round, and especially with the top overall pick, obviously they believe they have found a franchise player, as the Bucs did with Jameis Winston. Although Winston’s first three seasons have been a little rocky, going 18-27 in 45 games played with a 96-44 TD-INT ratio.

Still, the consensus among many fans always seemed to lean towards a belief in the young player if he could simply improve on his accuracy and decision-making skills, especially during important moments during the game. However, that all seems to be changing. Winston was suspended for three games in June of 2018 due to a sexual assault allegation that allegedly took place in March of 2016.

If that wasn’t enough to turn the opinions of the fans and the organization, Ryan Fitzpatrick’s stellar play would be.

Local media outlets have been calling for the Buccaneers to either cut or trade Winston throughout the summer and with Fitzpatrick playing better than Winston ever has through the first two games, it is hard to imagine Tampa Bay has many reasons not to listen to those suggestions.

Sure, Winston has more upside as a player than Fitzpatrick (who is 11 years older than Winston) but the quarterback position in the NFL is about more than on-field production, believe it or not. Quarterbacks are automatically the face of the franchise once they start for an NFL team and with the Bucs seemingly removing all images of Winston from their stadium, clearly they are not comfortable with that anymore.

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I doubt there is too much of a trade market for the controversial Winston, who has been accused of sexual assault before during his time at Florida State, but that doesn’t mean he should start once his suspension is over.

Winston’s contract is almost up and locking him into a long-term and high salary deal should be off the table which means it is time for a new plan. Tampa Bay should ride Fitzpatrick through this season and maybe next season as well and draft a player to groomed on the bench. The Jameis Winston era in Tampa is over, it’s Fitzmagic time now.

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