No starter has been confirmed yet at quarterback for the Bucs and there won’t be until the end of the summer. Yet given his experience, Baker Mayfield might be the man that winds up under center for the regular season.

The outlook at quarterback for the entire NFC South is an interesting one. There were a few high-profile moves between the Panthers trading up for the first overall pick to draft Alabama’s’ Bryce Young, and the Saints signing veteran Derek Carr in free agency. Mayfield’s signing was popular news around the NFL due to his one-time status as Cleveland’s face of the franchise, and being a former No. 1 pick.

Oddly enough, the longest-tenured quarterback when it comes to playing in the NFC South in second-year quarterback Desmond Ridder, who had three starts last year.

Comparing the NFC South quarterbacks to the rest of the divisions in the NFL is quite ugly. Adam Schein of NFL.com ranked each quarterback group by division and the NFC South finished eighth out of eight.

In other words, dead last.

In order of one through eight, Schein leads off with the AFC North’s Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson, the AFC East led by Josh Allen and Aaron Rodgers, and the AFC West featuring Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert. Then comes the NFC North led by Kirk Cousins and Jared Goff, the NFC East with Jalen Hurts and Dak Prescott, then the NFC West with Geno Smith and Matthew Stafford. The AFC South which features Trevor Lawrence, is next to last, followed by the lowly NFC South.

Bucs’ Baker Mayfield Gets Harsh Criticism

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo courtesy of the Buccaneers

This is what Adam Schien had to say about the Bucs’ quarterback situation.

“What’s in store for Baker as a Buc? Who knows? This past season, he was bad in Carolina and solid in Los Angeles. He hasn’t been legitimately good in years, though there is legit receiver talent around him in Tampa.”

It’s hard to argue the NFC South’s ranking at the bottom, considering Mayfield and Derek Carr’s recent struggles, and the lack of experience between Desmond Ridder and rookie Bryce Young. Yet the NFC South QBs may not be far off from the sixth-seeded NFC West passers.

Arizona’s Kyler Murray is recovering from a torn ACL, meaning that Colt McCoy is the likely opening day starter. For the Rams, Matthew Stafford is still good when healthy, but he’s been very injury prone. Geno Smith had a career resurgence last year in Seattle, but the 49ers have three quarterbacks and they don’t trust any of them.

The AFC South is in a much similar spot to their NFC counterparts of the same location. Anthony Richardson and C.J. Stroud are rookies and the Titans’ Ryan Tannehill could be pulled at any moment for newly-drafted Will Levis. That leaves Trevor Lawrence of the Jaguars as the only proven commodity in that division.

Luckily, the Bucs and the rest of the NFC South play against the AFC South this year, so this can all be decided on the field.

Are These NFC South QB Rankings Correct?

It seems like the NFC East and NFC North should be flipped on Adam Schein’s list, moving the NFC East to fourth place. Jalen Hurts reached the Super Bowl, while Dak Prescott and Daniel Jones each made the playoffs with the Cowboys and Giants. Washington’s Sam Howell is very inexperienced, but that’s a solid top three.

Bucs OLB Shaq Barrett and Cowboys QB Dak Prescott – Photo by: USA Today

The NFC North on the other hand only had one quarterback make the postseason with Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins, who tends to falter in big moments and lost to Jones at home. This is a huge year for Justin Fields after the Bears gave him more weapons.

Green Bay’s Jordan Love is unproven and steps into big shoes replacing Aaron Rodgers. Jared Goff and the Lions are arguably the most hyped team going into the season, but they didn’t make the playoffs after a 9-8 finish last year.

Hurts, Prescott and Jones seems more formidable than Goff, Cousins and Fields.

Many have doubted the Bucs because of their questions at quarterback. A weakened NFC South does give them a better chance to compete for a division title.

You can add another name in Adam Schein to the list of people the Bucs will look to prove wrong this season.