Tampa Bay Bucs Sign QB Blaine Gabbert

There is a premium on capable and experienced quarterbacks in the NFL. Having a competent backup available should a starter be lost to injury can make the difference between a successful and unsuccessful season. At best, a team can continue to prosper. The Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl two years ago with backup quarterback Nick Foles at the helm after starter Carson Wentz was injured late in the year. At worst, it can be a disaster.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are apparently committed to Jameis Winston as a starter but hope they have shored up the quarterback depth chart by signing veteran Blaine Gabbert to a one year contract. The plan is to have him compete for the backup job along with Tulane University product Ryan Griffin. According to some sources, he has the edge for the spot ahead of Griffin due to his game experience and a previous relationship with first year Bucs’ head coach Bruce Arians. Gabbert played for Arians in 2017 when he was the coach of the Arizona Cardinals.

Arians was candid in his preference for Gabbert:

“We really liked what we saw from [third-string QB Ryan Griffin] but the game tape isn’t there. So let’s find another guy that has game tape and let them compete. Blaine has been in this offense and I love him.”

He then added this postscript:

“It’s an open competition, but it’s probably not.”

Tampa Bay management likes Griffin though he’s seen minimal game action in his five years with the team.

Gabbert has previously played for four NFL teams, most recently spending last season with the Tennessee Titans. He was released after the Titans acquired former Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Not everyone in Tampa is thrilled with the addition of Gabbert. One local media outlet called Gabbert ‘the worst quarterback available‘ and gave a thorough statistical analysis as support. The article included this scathing assessment of Gabbert’s career relative to new teammate Ryan Griffin’s:

The 2011 first-round draft pick will compete not with Winston for the starting job but with Ryan Griffin for the backup job. Though Griffin has never thrown a pass in a regular season game, one could argue he has had the better career. Yes, Gabbert has experience (eight seasons, 56 games, almost 1,500 passes), but it hasn’t been good experience.

Jameis Winson is in the final year of his rookie deal and will become a free agent in 2020. Bucs’ management will be evaluating his performance closely this season before making a decision on whether to resign him.