Buccaneers: Blaine Gabbert competing for future in training camp

Blaine Gabbert appears to be the heir apparent to Tom Brady with the Buccaneers, but he needs to prove that during this training camp.

As it stands, the Buccaneers are set at quarterbacks for the next few years. Tom Brady is showing no signs of slowing down, and the organization should let him play until he is 50 if he wants to. The offense looks better than it ever has, but it still makes sense to start looking for the long-term future at the quarterback position.

While Blaine Gabbert probably shouldn’t inherit this role, the general reports coming from the coaching staff are that they love their number two, and that should play a role in his future.
Now, the coaching staff’s opinion is huge, but the real way to earn this role is on the field, specifically in training camp.

If Gabbert is genuinely going to start down the road, he needs to prove that this summer. With Brady, Ryan Griffin, and Kyle Trask to compete with at camp, Gabbert’s future is dependent on beating two of those players.

Suppose Gabbert shows up and is step for step with Brady, then perhaps the coaching staff is justified in their support for the veteran quarterback. This comes on the heels of lots of support and a decent showing last season, but it needs to be there on paper and the tape.

On the other hand, if Gabbert shows up and plays on par with the likes of Griffin and Trask, then the future face of the franchise moniker has been gifted too early. Gabbert is too old to have a long-term future in the lead role, and not convincingly beating a popular player like Trask could destroy his chances down the road.

Regardless of the future, Gabbert will still play a major role on the roster in 2021 as Brady’s second set of eyes. The focus, for now, is winning, and the Bucs need to make every decision possible to make sure that continues after the Brady era.

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