Tampa finds themselves in an advantageous position of being set at quarterback, this is not something that the Bucs are used to. With the injuries over the last week to Tony Romo and Teddy Bridgewater, we see teams that go into the start of the season with backups in unfamiliar positions. The Cowboys and Vikings trajectories for the season have changed as they are putting backups and rookies in charge of the most important position in football. There are other teams that are unsure at quarterback going forward such as the Rams and Eagles going with highly drafted, yet unproven rookies or veterans that have moved around most of their career. In another oddity, the defending Super Bowl Champions have a quarterback that has never thrown an NFL pass, Trevor Siemian, who will be a part of the opening Thursday game against the Carolina Panthers and the reigning MVP Cam Newton.
Tampa has been in this position in the past trying to find a franchise quarterback to lead the team back to relevance. Whether it was the likes of Trent Dilfer, Shaun King, or recently Josh Freeman the familiar situation has been the organization looking for a new signal caller to lead the team. The quarterback position seems to be set for years to come as Jameis Winston is coming off a good rookie season and has shown glimpses of brilliance in his short time with the team. Whether it was the 5-touchdown game against the Eagles or the memorable run against the Falcons, where Winston broke tackles on a 20 yard run on 3rd and 19 to get a winning score for the Bucs, the rookie quarterback proved he is a player to watch in the NFL.
There are still dependable superstar quarterbacks like Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Ben Rothlisberger who are the face of the NFL. However, this young group that will be around for years to come such as Winston, Marcus Mariotta, Derek Carr, and Andrew Luck will forge their own path and look for championships in the coming years. In the past, Tampa was not in this group and was constantly looking for a new quarterback to lead them. Winston, who has shown great ability on the field, also has shown great leadership leading the team in the huddle and on the field and came to training camp lighter and ready for the start of the season. The future seems bright and there is stability at the quarterback position, something that has been foreign to Bucs fans in the past.
