Since being taken No. 1 overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2015 NFL Draft, quarterback Jameis Winston has shown flashes of brilliance and flushes of draft bust, sometimes all in the same game. The 25-year-old former Heisman Trophy winner and NCAA National Champion has his best chance to put the bad behind him with an entirely new coaching regime in Tampa Bay, led by head coach Bruce Arians.
But can he make the most of it and save his career?
His quarterback coach, Clyde Christensen, feels good about his chances.
“…It’s just almost reeling him in a little bit more than it is trying to get more work out of him,” Christensen told JoeBucsFan.com. “So, he’s improved a ton. He’s picked up the system pretty good. We’ve stressed just learning the system and fundamentals and stuff. And now we’ll have to put it together and get better in all the situations and all those things, apply the fundamentals to game situations.”
Clyde Christensen: Jameis Winston "improved a ton" this offseason https://t.co/SGUNq9s5dO
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) July 12, 2019
If Winston can’t get it together with Arians’ coaching staff, specifically Christensen and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, his days as a potential franchise quarterback are over and certainly the Buccaneers will let him walk as a free agent at the end of the season.
If Christensen’s name sounds familiar, it should. He was Peyton Manning’s offensive coordinator from 2009-2011 with the Indianapolis Colts, then took over as quarterback coach when the team drafted Andrew Luck in 2012 and remained in that position until 2015. That worked out pretty well for those guys.
He’s spent the offseason working with Winston and diagnosing his issues.
Video: Bucs QBs coach Clyde Christensen says many of Jameis Winston’s interceptions were due to accuracy issues and not poor decision-making, so improving that is a priority. pic.twitter.com/cHKZNhgMdX
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) May 2, 2019
Winston is in his fifth-year option with the Bucs and due to make $20.9 million. If he can maximize his gifts under Christensen and Leftwich, he’ll make a lot more than that. Winston missed three games with a suspension last season and started just nine, as he was benched for Ryan Fitzpatrick after a disastrous return. He completed a career-high 64.6 percent of his passes for 2,992 yards and 19 touchdowns, but threw 14 picks in spite of just nine starts and 11 game appearances.
