ESPN is reporting this afternoon that the Bucs have decided to shut down QB Jameis Winston.
Yesterday, Trevor Grout mentioned in an article that Jameis Winston is a warrior and a great leader, which are all true, but the article also went on to say that the coaching staff should be the ones to step up and make the decision to shut Winston down. Today, it looks like they made that decision.
This really isn’t that much of surprise. Winston re-injured his shoulder in the 2nd Quarter of yesterday’s game against the Saints. Bucs’ Head Coach, Dirk Koetter, said the team made the decision after Winston underwent an MRI on Monday.
Winston has been dealing with this AC Joint injury for the last three weeks, so it makes sense for the team to give him some rest. Tampa will now turn to backup QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick has been serviceable in his spot duty so far this season. He will be making the start this Sunday against another of his former teams in the New York Jets.
One possible silver lining to Tampa shutting down Winston is, maybe the turnovers will cease. Due to his injury, Winston had been turning the ball over at an alarming rate. Fitzpatrick is prone to making his share of mistakes as well, but the rate at which the quarterback was turning over the ball should drop.
Don’t be surprised if the Bucs end up shutting Winston down for the rest of the season if their losing streak continues.
It would make little sense to bring back your starting quarterback and risk further injury and/or damage to his shoulder for a lost season. If the Bucs are thinking about bringing him back this season however, you would have to look at their next divisional match-up against the Atlanta Falcons, in Atlanta, on Thanksgiving weekend (November 26th) as his possible return date.
