Buccaneers: ESPN writer right with Gardner Minshew trade

Gardner Minshew, Jacksonville Jaguars, potential trade target for the Buccaneers (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
Gardner Minshew, Jacksonville Jaguars, potential trade target for the Buccaneers (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /
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Bill Barnwell is onto something with Gardner Minshew and the Buccaneers.

As draft season is in full swing, with around a week before the big day, the amount of content coming out is staggering. In an effort to set himself apart, Bill Barnwell created a “trade mock draft” where each team makes a trade based on their position in the 2021 NFL Draft. Barnwell has the Buccaneers landing Gardner Minshew.

Now, is Minshew worth the 32nd overall pick? Probably not. He is a fun option and an above-average backup and does deserve another chance at a starting job, but this does not mean that this is the best fit for the price.

Even then, the trade on its own does make sense. If the Buccaneers were able to make the price different, this could be an excellent fit.

Gardner Minshew and the Buccaneers works on more than paper

The Bucs don’t have a great option for the future on their roster right now. Blaine Gabbert and Ryan Griffin are both over 30, and their potential to follow Brady as the next face of the franchise is questionable. Minshew isn’t a sure thing either, but the chances of him turning into a starting QB are much better than the ones related to Gabbert and Griffin.

Minshew is only 24 years old by comparison, has a better body of work in the NFL than Gabbert or Griffin, and is in need of a new home with Trevor Lawrence coming to town.

During his two seasons in the NFL (neither as a full-time starter), Minshew has accounted for 5,530 passing yards, 38 total touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and 497 yards on the ground. Some of these stats may seem pedestrian over a two-year period, but the consistency on a highly inconsistent team is what sets him apart.

Scotty Miller would likely be the second-best receiver that Minshew has played with. In addition to the lack of talent, the Jaguars actively pulled Minshew in an attempt to secure Trevor Lawrence. There is no other reason to pull a player that was on pace for approximately 4,518 passing yards, 32 touchdowns, and ten interceptions on the worst team in the league.

One has to assume that those stats would only be better with the Buccaneers and their better offense in every way, shape, and form, and Minshew brings much more than any Buccaneer quarterback now on the ground.

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Minshew’s arm isn’t great, and he isn’t the flashiest player on the field, but his sample size in the NFL indicates that he still has the upside to be a starter in the league. The Bucs have almost no needs right now other than a player to take the mantle from Tom Brady, and Minshew is a cheap option that the Buccaneers could take a chance on for almost no investment.

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