Dwayne Haskins and the Buccaneers: Great fit or mistake?

The verdict

The Buccaneers risk nothing in signing Dwayne Haskins to their practice squad. They would lose Drew Stanton, but how is this a real loss? Just so that it’s clear, 36-year old Drew Stanton is also not a future franchise quarterback.

Tampa Bay could move on from preseason superstar Ryan Griffin, a move they should have made a long time ago, and start building a relationship with Haskins now. This would set the Buccaneers up to go into the offseason with Haskins in the quarterback room with Tom Brady and Bruce Arians from day one, and the cost would be a fraction of what Griffin makes now.

Even if Haskins shows up and continues with his antics from Washington, the Bucs have no money invested, and nothing is lost. The locker room is stronger than it has ever been, so one young practice squad player does little to threaten the cohesion of the roster.

This is a gamble, but it is similar to betting fifty cents to win a million-dollar. If it doesn’t work out, you only lost fifty cents. It’s hard to lose sleep over a sum that is so insignificant, and the positive side is too great to ignore.

Haskins needs another chance with a team that is willing to work with him, and the Buccaneers have every ability to provide exactly that. Even if Tom Brady wasn’t signed to be a teacher, nor is he expected to do so, his habits have a way of rubbing off on other players. Haskins just has to watch and learn, and doing this for a year on a team that has Super Bowl aspirations has all of the upside, with practically no negative ramifications.

The Bucs could even keep Haskins as one of their protected practice squad players if they don’t need him on their active roster, but taking a chance as small as this with potential franchise-altering effects seems like an easy decision to make.

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