Trades, Injuries, and Draft Busts Define 2019 NFL Season

The Tampa Bay buccaneers find themselves without a competent quarterback through six games into the 2019 season. This has not been a good month of football, not only for the Tampa Bay Bucs and their number one overall selection quarterback Jameis Winston but for every first overall pick quarterback in the league this season. The 2012 first overall pick Andrew luck retired from the Colts to start off the season. While the Rams finished last season making in the Super Bowl, their 2016 first-round overall pick Jared Goff has performed poorly this season, only throwing for 78 yards this past weekend. Last year’s number one overall pick had a good rookie year for Cleveland, but Baker Mayfield leads the league in interceptions which 12 through six games. Ouch!

State of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Examining the Tampa Bay Bucs (2-4), head coach Bruce Arians has said that he does not plan on pulling Jameis Winston unless he sees more disastrous performances. This past weekend Jameis threw five interceptions. Winston has thrown 10 interceptions through six games so far. Last year he was replaced by the current Miami Dolphins starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Tampa Bay is currently third in their NFC South division, only ahead of the Atlanta Falcons (1-4). The Tampa Bay Bucs might draft a quarterback early in the 2020 NFL Draft like the Dolphins are expected to. 

Where the Dolphins Stand In 2019

After losing to the winless Washington Redskins (1-5), the Miami Dolphins (0-5) have decided against starting last year’s first-round quarterback, number 10 overall pick Josh Rosen after just two starts. If the Dolphins plan on taking a quarterback with the number one overall selection, as expected, they better hope to have a competent offensive line surrounding him. Between Winston, Mayfield, Goff, Luck, and others, the whole “Tanking for Tua” as it has become known could prove to be a mistake. Getting the current Alabama quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, might seem like the right call, but he will need talent around him to succeed, especially up front. The Alabama Crimson Tide won the 2017 National Championship with Tagoailoa leading the way and his current touchdown to interception ratio is 27-to-1 this season, so the Dolphins will be getting a solid winner.

Jaguars Trade Their Top Defensive Player

The Jaguars (2-4) have seen success with their rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew, but are not expected to go very far this season. The Jags traded their top defensive player in former first-round pick Jalen Ramsey. Ramsey, a pro bowl cornerback who played at Florida State University in Tallahassee, was disgruntled and missed the last two games as a result. Still under his rookie contract, he will now play for the Los Angeles Rams. The Jacksonville Jaguars received two first-round picks and a fourth-round pick in the 2020 draft from the Rams. Those 1st round picks will be from the 2020 and 2021 NFL draft. For more information on the current NFL season and the three Florida franchises, come back to Florida Insider!