A little over a year after winning a Super Bowl, the Buccaneers suddenly have to figure out what they want to do with the most important position in all of sports.
Tom Brady might not be done with the NFL for good, but it feels safe to say the legendary quarterback won't play another down for Tampa Bay. One has to imagine Jason Licht and company will look outside of the organization for Brady's replacement, as no one on the Bucs' current QB depth chart inspires much optimism.
As far as veteran backfills are concerned, names like Jimmy Garoppolo and Deshaun Watson have been kicked around fairly frequently since Brady announced his retirement. ESPN's Bill Barnwell, however, believes Tampa Bay should make a run at Carson Wentz.
From Barnwell's column published Thursday:
I'm going to argue that the Colts should keep Wentz when I hit the AFC teams, but if he is actually about to be traded or released, the Bucs should go out of their way to get a deal done. Wentz had a dismal end to the season after returning from a bout with COVID-19, but over the entire season, he ranked ninth in Total QBR and 13th in both passer rating and adjusted net yards per attempt.
Wentz might not have the ceiling some saw for him after the 2017 season, when he played MVP-caliber football and helped the Eagles push for the top seed in the NFC and an eventual Super Bowl, but a solid quarterback should be all the Bucs need to repeat as NFC South champions. Wentz's size and pocket presence also make him the prototypical Bruce Arians quarterback, with the Bucs coach comparing him to Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger during that breakout 2017 campaign.
If the Bucs can get Wentz for a midround pick, that would be an easy transition from the Tom Brady era.
It's tough to have much faith in Wentz at this point. The six-year veteran was supposed to experience a rejuvenation in Indianapolis, where he reunited with one of his favorite coaches and was surrounded by a solid supporting cast on both sides of the ball. But Wentz was fine, at best, to the point where the Colts might be eager to move off him this offseason.
That said, desperate times call for desperate measures, and there might not be many, if any, better QB options out there for the Bucs this spring or summer.
