Buccaneers: Four veterans that should see a rise in their statistics in 2017

Jameis Winston

Hey, I did call this slide the obvious choice.

He’s the face of the Bucs franchise. He is the leader of the team on and off the field. As the quarterback always is, he is the straw that stirs the drink for the Bucs offense. He is the one and only Jameis Winston and he is entering the all-important third year of his career. This is the year that Winston must take it to the next level from good quarterback to potentially elite level quarterback. His interceptions went from 15 to 18 over the first two seasons. That obviously cannot happen again.

The good news is, the team is set up so it SHOULDN’T happen again. He already had a guy that holds up under a lot of targets in Mike Evans. Knock on wood, he is durable, and at his height, saves Winston on many of his high throws. Cameron Brate has emerged as one of the top tight end targets in the league. Add DeSean Jackson to the mix and the exciting O.J. Howard, and Winston just has so many weapons to throw to. There will be so many good throws to make he won’t have time to make the bad ones.

Jameis Winston is the only guy that can hamper the development of Jameis Winston. All of the physical tools are there, we know that. At times, he has lapses in mental judgement, and we have all seen that too. He makes throws that are just too risky. He holds the ball too long. He tries to do too much. Whatever it is, Winston does it, at times. If he can get those concepts out of his head, the sky is the limit for him and his numbers.