Luke McCown may not make Bucs Roster (1 Viewer)

[SammyJankis]

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The Tampa Bay Bucaneers raised some eyebrows when they gave unproven QB Luke McCown a $2.5 million signing bonus this offseason. By all accounts, he has struggled, and some within that organization believe that it might be time to cut their losses with him so reps can open up for others.

The development of rookie QB Josh Freeman, the team’s first-round pick, has been well chronicled, and team sources have indicanted to me for months that Byron Leftwich has been the front-runner to land the starting gig for Week 1.

No one talks much about second-year QB Josh Johnson, but had Jon Gruden stayed as head coach, it’s Johnson who would have been the favorite to be the starter, sources said, and he remains highly regarded by the organization. Johnson was sharp in the preseason opener, and flashed his elite athleticism on a 43-yard touchdown dash on a busted play.

If nothing else, the kid has the ability to create a stir in The Wildcat, and he is well-versed in the West Coast offense from his time at Division I-AA San Diego. The Bucs are no longer running a West Coast system, but Johnson has the arm strength to thrive in a vertical offense as well, scouts say, and some in the organization believe he is already better than many No. 2 quarterbacks in the league.

The investment in Freeman shows he is the future, but Johnson could be a nice asset, too. If the Bucs released him, and kept McCown (in large part because of his contract), well, that wouldn’t make good football sense to me (Johnsn would get scooped up). Johnson would also be better primed at this point to be a No. 2 quarterback early in the season, as Freeman is still learning. Johnson is someone who could step in with few practice reps and replace the starter if he was injured or pulled.

Long-term, the Bucs could have two quality youngsters to work with at quarterback, but only one has received any real attention to this point. Johnson is someone I’m definitely going to keep an eye on in the upcoming preseason games.

 

[gump]

Could happen. I'm sure McCown will get a chance or two the next two weeks to save something though.

Scary thought of having two untested QBs backing up a ridiculously immobile tree.

If so, bump every Buc you can find on your cheatsheet down...

 

[Riffraff]

On the flip side, I believe Leftwich could be cut with no salary cap ramifications. McCown would cost them.

 

[Drop]

http://www.onnetworks.com/videos/draftguys...b?autoplay=true

 

[QUEZILLA]

No room for whitey.

 

[Capella]

I still don't get any Leftwich love down here. Guy took a 17-yard sack last week that was so ridiculous that I still can't believe it. Maybe the team is just planning to punt the season and try for a top-5 pick next year, but there's enough talent that that shouldn't be the case.

Leftwich won't get through 5 games injury-free. And then you go to a backup who has never taken a snap? Yeesh.

 

[QUEZILLA]

On the flip side, I believe Leftwich could be cut with no salary cap ramifications. McCown would cost them.

 

[QUEZILLA]

I think Griese would have given us a better chance to win than most of the QBs on the roster.

 

[flranger]

On the flip side, I believe Leftwich could be cut with no salary cap ramifications. McCown would cost them.

I doubt the Bucs are worried about salary cap ramifications since they are probably still over 40 million under. Signing bonus is already long gone. If anything, accelerating the signing bonus may help them get over the minimum. They have spent less than any franchise in the last 5 years.

 

[bucsbaby]

Funny thing is, the Buc's offense (albeit with QB concerns) should be pretty good. I just wish they spent a bit of money on the defensive side of the ball...

 

[Golden Mike Tomczak]

Byron is a good guy and a solid QB. I think any Bucs fan will be pleasantly surprised with his accuracy. If the line gives the guy enough time, he can pick a defense apart.

 

[Jeff Pasquino]

I'm not sure I'd completely throw away the idea of carrying four QBs.

Are there really 49 players worthy of a roster spot over 4 QBs? Especially with the uncertainty at QB, it might make more sense to keep all four.

 

[travdogg]

Byron is a good guy and a solid QB. I think any Bucs fan will be pleasantly surprised with his accuracy. If the line gives the guy enough time, he can pick a defense apart.

He's kind of like Drew Bledsoe like that.