At Week 2 of the preseason, predicting what will the Tampa Bay Buccaneers depth chart look like for the offense when the 2019 season kicks off.
After the first couple weeks of training camp and preseason-opening loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, we are starting to see a clearer picture of what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 53-man depth chart will look like come Week 1 of the regular season. Week 2 of the preseason offered more insight in that regard.
The first-team offense and defense played well against the Steelers in limited time, so it’s crucial that we see what the rest of the team will look like behind them. As we’ve seen in seasons past, depth will be a crucial part of what general manger Jason Licht, head coach Bruce Arians and the rest of the coaching staff is looking to build in Tampa.
Let’s get into the projected depth chart for the Buccaneers offense in the 2019 season.
Quarterback
Jameis Winston, Blaine Gabbert, Ryan Griffin
Heading into his fifth season, it’s make or break time for Winston, the No.1 overall pick from the 2015 NFL Draft. To say that he’s had his share of ups and downs would be a major understatement. However, he has shown flashes of being a franchise quarterback at times throughout his career.
The biggest reason Arians and his staff were hired by Licht was to do everything in their power to see those flashes turn into consistency. As seen in his lone drive during last Friday’s loss, Winston can be that quarterback. He went 5-of-6 for 40 yards and a nine-yard touchdown pass to rising third-year receiver Chris Godwin. If Winston can cut down on the turnovers that have plagued his career so far, he could be the franchise quarterback that the Bucs have never had.
Despite largely failing as a starter in Jacksonville, Gabbert has rebounded to be a solid backup quarterback. His experience in Arians’ offense during the coach’s final season with the Cardinals in 2017 was the main reason why he was brought on to backup Winston. He’s able to step in and play at a decent level, which is what you want from your No. 2 signal-caller.
Griffin has been with the team for a few years now as the third-string quarterback and I think Arians will see enough in him to keep him around. He had a good game against the Steelers in the preseason opener and against the Dolphins in the second preseason battle.