Despite suffering a shoulder injury last weekend, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston will start in Week 7 and practiced Friday.
#Bucs coach Dirk Koetter tells reporters that QB Jameis Winston will start on Sunday. He got first-team reps and threw today.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 20, 2017
Winston had previously indicated he was fully committed to giving it his all to play Sunday, so this isn’t shocking news, per se. Still, after suffering a sprain to his throwing shoulder, Winston’s availability was very much in question for this weekend’s game against the Buffalo Bills.
So far this season, Winston is completing 60.4 percent of his passes for 1,259 yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions.
The Buccaneers struggled offensively last Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals without Winston in the lineup, which isn’t all that surprising. Backup Ryan Fitzpatrick is certainly a step below the third-year quarterback.
Buffalo has been tough against opposing quarterbacks this year and can bring pressure on the pass rush, so Winston will need to be smart this weekend to avoid big hits and limit his risks if Tampa Bay is going to have a chance to improve to .500 on the season after dropping three of its first five games.