6. Will Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota take that next step?
There’s very little doubt that these two young quarterbacks represent the future for their franchises. Though, there are some rather large question marks surrounding each one heading into important 2017 campaigns.
For Winston and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it’s all about the former No. 1 overall pick cutting down on the mistakes that plagued him early on last season. Winston threw eight interceptions in his first four games, leading the Buccaneers to a 1-3 mark during that span. He then followed that up with a nine-game stretch that saw him tally 15 touchdowns compared to four interceptions. It’s not a coincidence that Tampa posted a 7-2 record in those nine games.
Most figured that the Florida State product had turned the corner. But with the Bucs in contention for a playoff spot late in the season, he went on to throw six picks in the team’s final three games.
The issue with Winston is decision making. He tends to continue throwing late and to the outside. That might work in college football, but defenses will pick up on that tendency in the NFL. It’s led to some horrible mistakes in the past.
This is something Tampa Bay can’t afford in 2017 if it wants to expand off that 9-7 mark from last season. The good news here is that the Buccaneers added two shiny new weapons for Winston in the passing game. That came in the form of Pro Bowl wide receiver DeSean Jackson in free agency and All-American tight end O.J. Howard in the first round of April’s draft. This should afford Winston the ability to cut out the mistakes that came with force-feeding Mike Evans (173 targets last season) the ball.
Mariota’s situation in Nashville is different in that he’s proven to be a top-tier decision maker when healthy. Unfortunately, Mariota has seen each of his first two NFL seasons end prematurely to injury, including a season-ending fibula fracture this past December. When on the field, Super Mario has been downright dominant. He put up 28 touchdowns compared to nine interceptions en route to leading Tennessee to a surprising 8-7 mark in 15 starts last season.
Now that the Titans have retained the running back tandem of DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry, Mariota has the balance to succeed on offense. Add in the selection of big-bodied receiver Corey Davis in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, and that’s been brought to a whole new level. For the former Oregon standout, it’s all about proving he can play a full 16-game season without injuries coming back to bite him on the back end.
Both Tampa Bay and Tennessee should be considered legitimate playoff threats heading into the 2017 season. The lingering question here is whether each team’s franchise quarterback is prepared to take his game to the next level. We won’t know the answer to this until the fall.