The news of Jameis Winston's suspension to start the upcoming season likely means that the Bucs will have veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick stepping in at quarterback for three crucial games.
Fitzpatrick stepped in as a starter for three games last year when Winston was sidelined with a shoulder injury. He went 2-1 in those games, helping the Bucs to wins over the Dolphins and Jets.
Fitzpatrick limited his mistakes in those three starts, with just one interception in 115 pass attempts, while throwing for three touchdowns and 745 yards.
His next three games won't be nearly as easy, ranking among the most difficult on the Bucs' 2018 schedule, all against 2017 division champions. The Bucs open at New Orleans, against the defending NFC South champs, and then play host to the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles before another home game on a Monday night against the Steelers. Together, those three opponents went a combined 37-11 last season.
At 35, Fitzpatrick is hardly the oldest quarterback to open a season as the Bucs' starter. Brad Johnson opened the 2004 season a day before his 36th birthday, Jeff Garcia was 38 in 2008, and Steve DeBerg was 39 in 1993. As a general rule, older quarterbacks haven't fared well in leading the Bucs to wins, as Tampa Bay is 20-45 all-time with a quarterback 35 or older throwing 10 or more passes in a game.
For his career, Fitzpatrick has thrown for 26,991 yards and 173 touchdown passes against 136 interceptions. Last year's 2-1 record marked just the second time in his 13 NFL seasons that he had a winning record as a starter; he went 10-6 with the Jets in 2015.
Winston's suspension now means Ryan Griffin would be the team's top backup, competing with Fitzpatrick in training camp for the starting role in the first three games. Griffin, 28, has spent the last three seasons as a backup with the Bucs, but has never played a snap in a regular-season game.
