TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
No risk it, no biscuit, right? Committing a mega deal to Winston isn’t what anyone should be suggesting, but let’s not pretend like some good things didn’t happen for Winston in Year 1 under Bruce Arians, who is known for his ability to advance quarterbacks forward.
Six of the nine Buccaneers’ losses last year were one-score games while opponents scored a whopping 112 points of Winston’s turnovers. Even the slightest of improvements in Winston’s ball security could have been the difference last season and there should be some optimism that another offseason working with Arians and an improved offensive line combined with the outstanding weapons the Tampa Bay offense features that things could work out moving forward between Winston and Tampa Bay.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
The Pittsburgh Steelers lack of salary cap space complicates this idea but they can’t flush away another season by not having a reasonable backup to Ben Roethlisberger like they did in 2019.
Winston, who just turned 26, could view Pittsburgh as a place where he can become the long-term answer as the eventual successor to Roethlisberger after serving a year or two as the backup. Outside of a few games in 2018, Winston has been the primary starter for his entire career at this point and being in observation mode for a bit might be the best thing for his career. From a stylistic perspective, Winston is a good fit for the Pittsburgh offense.
Having earned more than $46 million in his career to this point, Winston will have to make some concessions to make it work with Pittsburgh, but Winston’s valuation is complicated and he just might not get the payday he thinks is coming. If that’s the case, Winston and Pittsburgh could benefit from each other.
TENNESSEE TITANS
Throw this idea out the window if Tom Brady comes to Nashville but the environment in Tennessee makes a lot of sense to get the best out of Winston.
Keep in mind, this is a Titans’ team that reached the AFC Championship Game last season while leaning on Derrick Henry with Ryan Tannehill at quarterback. If Winston could reel back the turnovers, he has more big play potential in the passing game than Tannehill which could take the Titans offense to the next level in terms of explosive plays through the air. In fact, the idea of having both Tannehill and Winston in the mix to compete at quarterback isn’t something that should be off the table as the Titans’ search for the ingredients necessary to take that next step.
Per Joe Marino @The Draft Nei
