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Buccaneers Round Table: Offensive Keep, Trade, and Release

By David Harrison

TAMPA, FL - OCTOBER 1: Quarterback Jameis Winston #3 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers makes his way to the field with teammates before the start of an NFL football game against the New York Giants on October 1, 2017 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL - OCTOBER 1: Quarterback Jameis Winston #3 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers makes his way to the field with teammates before the start of an NFL football game against the New York Giants on October 1, 2017 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images) /
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Jerry Stalheim

Keep One, Trade One, Let One Walk: Jameis Winston, Mike Evans, or Doug Martin?

Ugh … how dare you make me make this choice The PewterPlank Editor!! Haha just kidding.

After being GM and selecting positions to add now we are given the tough task of basically deciding who we would make as the focal point of the Buccaneers offense and team in general.

Most people would say this is easy you keep the youngest most promising player, you trade the player who is at his peak, and you let walk the oldest and easiest to replace play, but when you need them all to make your team successful it is actually a very hard decision.

KEEP ONE

Well if I am going to go with the philosophy that I mentioned above, then the most promising and important player would be that franchise quarterback that every great team needs to succeed (unless of course you have a killer defense, which the Buccaneers do not yet) then the obvious choice for who to keep is Jameis Winston.

Only in his third season he has set an NFL record for being the only quarterback to pass for 4,000-yards in each of his first two seasons, and is approaching several Buccaneers quarterback records.

Currently sitting at 9,330 yards and 57-touchdowns, yeah granted he has thrown a lot of interceptions (36) and he has a losing record as a starting quarterback (17-19), but he is the

driving force and the leader that gives this team the best chance to win so you have to keep him.

Now to the two tough ones: Who to Trade and Who to Let walk? ….

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TRADE ONE

Hate to do it but out of these choices that we have been given I have to trade the player in his prime who is young enough and that would be (cries) wide receiver Mike Evans.

Currently in his fourth season at only 24-years of age his numbers have improved every season that he has been a Buccaneers starting with 68 receptions 1,051-yards and 12 touchdowns to 74 receptions 1,206-yards and three touchdowns, and then to 96 catches 1,321-yards and 12 touchdowns again while only missing two games and making almost miraculous comebacks from injuries.

Clearly one of the top-five receivers in the NFL he is who made Johnny Football look good, not the other way around, and he is clearly a home-run draft pick for Jason Licht and the Buccaneers.

If you HAVE to trade one of these guys he is the person who would likely give you the biggest haul because Winston is still early in his career and Martin has not proven that he can stay healthy, so if I was forced to trade him away I would want a huge amount in return almost undoable for another team.

LET WALK

With my theory that I mentioned above even before choosing the other two selections Doug Martin was the obvious choice to let walk away and that is because of his age and his inability to stay healthy on a regular basis.

Granted the two season that he was fully healthy (2012 and 2015) he averaged 1,428-yards rushing (4.7 yards/carry) 372-yards receiving and nine touchdowns but the other three season where he was injured he was awful averaging 457-yards rushing (3.4 yards/carry) 88-yards receiving and two touchdowns.

At 28-years old and that much inconsistency it would be difficult to keep him if he has another bad season and in fact the story goes that the Buccaneers were most likely going to draft Dalvin Cook in last season’s draft if O.J. Howard was sitting there waiting for them.

Those then are my options of who to Keep, Trade, and Let walk and hopefully we as a group did not jinx the team for even talking about this, but luckily we have them all and at least for Winston and Evans will continue to have them all for years to come.

Don’t hate me Mike Evans, Jameis Winston, and Doug Martin for having to suggest which one of you we Keep, Trade, or Let Walk the David Harrison at the PewterPlank made me do it.  HA HA

GO BUCS!!!

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