The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have their starting quarterback in Jameis Winston, but back-up quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has left for the Miami Dolphins, leaving a void to be filled. The Buccaneers re-signed Ryan Griffin III early into free agency. They also went out and signed Blaine Gabbert, who played in Arizona for Arians. The question is, are Gabbert and Griffin reliable backups?
Ryan Griffin III
When Jameis Winston was suspended a year ago for trouble off the field, Ryan Fitzpatrick stepped up. He went 2-2 in his 4 appearances. During the first three games he broke NFL records. Ryan Griffin has never taken a snap in a regular season NFL game. He had some experience during the preseason, but we all know that isn’t in any way close to a regular season game. Unless he outplays Gabbert during this upcoming preseason, he will most likely be the third-string quarterback once again.
Blaine Gabbert
Blaine Gabbert played with the Tennessee Titans in 2018. He was back-up to Marcus Mariota and played in 8 games. In those games, he had 4 touchdowns to go with 4 interceptions and threw for 626 yards. He knows that the job belongs to Winston, but he will need to be a lot better than he was in 2018.
Are these two reliable backups? I don’t think so. If Winston gets injured or suspended, the Buccaneers are in trouble. With Griffin never having started in a game, the pressure on him would be heavy. He would have to learn the system Leftwich wants to run. Gabbert will have to be more reliable behind Winston than he was behind Mariota. The best thing going for Gabbert is that he’s played for Arians before.
Let’s hope Winston has a good year and bounces back and we don’t have to worry about seeing Gabbert or Griffin.
What is your opinion on Gabbert and Griffin?