The Buccaneers are ready to take the league by storm in 2020, with a fresh new look and swagger about them. A statement like that has been more of a pipe dream over the past decade, but when you have a six-time Super Bowl champion like Tom Brady as your quarterback, the sky’s the limit.
But while Brady seemed to be the big winner when it came to the Bucs’ 2020 NFL draft haul, Scott Spratt of Football Outsiders says there’s still one major roster hole for Tampa Bay: backup quarterback.
Per Spratt:
“All of the Bucs’ eggs are in the Tom Brady basket, and though Brady is obviously skilled enough to shoulder that burden, he will be 43 years old in September. Last year, the Saints went 5-0 with Teddy Bridgewater as the starter when Drew Brees injured his thumb. The Bucs have the overall roster talent to do something similar if Brady misses time, but current backup Blaine Gabbert might not be up to the task. Gabbert has not improved his efficiency since his fall from grace as a former top pick, finishing with poor minus-25.4%, minus-26.4% and minus-35.5% DVOA rates from 2016 to ’18 before missing 2019 because of a dislocated shoulder.”
Gabbert missed all of last season with a shoulder injury, but had he been healthy it would’ve been interesting to see if he’d gotten the start at some point, especially given how much Jameis Winston struggled at times. Remember, the quarterback selected after Winston in the 2015 draft, Marcus Mariota, was replaced early last season by former first-round pick Ryan Tannehill, who led the Titans to the AFC Championship Game. Not saying Gabbert would’ve done the same, but he may have provided a little mid-season spark for the Bucs. If he can stay healthy, he’ll be a serviceable backup to Brady for sure.
[lawrence-related id=32192,32184,32180,32174]