Can Blaine Gabbert be magic for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?

A little under a year ago Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans were introduced to the cultural phenomenon known as “FitzMagic”. Following Tampa’s week two victory against the Philadelphia Eagles, Ryan Fitzpatrick took to the stage wearing wide receiver DeSean Jackson’s shirt, chains and sunglasses, and declared that he needed to “stay humble”.

It felt like lightning in a bottle for Bucs fans who had little confidence in the first four games of the 2018  season, with Jameis Winston being suspended until week five. Two wins out of those four games, and the unearthing of a folk hero in Tampa had to be a positive for the Buccaneers community.

Fast forward to 2019 and Ryan Fitzpatrick has moved to Miami and is fighting for a starting spot against 2018 first round draft pick Josh Rosen. Jameis Winston looks revitalised under the guidance of Bruce Arians, and we have a new backup quarterback in Tampa to pick up Fitzpatrick’s mantle.

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Enter Blaine Gabbert, the 29 year old who, like Fitzpatrick, has spent his time with several NFL franchises. Originally drafted in the first round of the 2011 draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Gabbert has also played for the San Francisco 49ers, the Arizona Cardinals, and the Tennessee Titans, never really getting a foothold in any of the cities.

In Tampa’s first pre-season game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Gabbert looked to be slowly settling in with the Bucs offense. Connections with wide receivers Bobo Wilson and Justin Watson were crisp, and the pressure was taken off somewhat by support from running backs Andre Ellington and tight end Tanner Hudson.

Like Winston, Gabbert was only featured for one series against the Steelers, handing off quarterback duties to Ryan Griffin for the rest of the game. Six completions from eight attempts for 50 yards doesn’t seem like a bad first night’s work for the Missouri man, and we can only expect bigger and better things over the next three weeks of the preseason.

At the close of the 2018 season, Gabbert’s passer rating was at 71.7, and with several major injuries during his career it is debatable if the Buccaneers are looking at the 29 year old as a long-term backup solution. Head coach Bruce Arians worked with Gabbert during the 2017 season as a part of the Arizona Cardinals, so Arians must have confidence in what he saw from Gabbert to make him a part of his reloading process in Tampa.

The question to be asked is whether the backup quarterback role is a lock for Gabbert. Griffin is in his fifth year for the Buccaneers and also put in a serviceable performance against the Steelers. From the outside looking in however, it looks like Gabbert’s job to lose.