Bucs Linked to Fallen Star Amid Raging Speculation

Getty Todd Bowles could be among the coaches willing to take a chance on Carson Wentz.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will need a veteran free agent quarterback, and possibly two, which means maligned quarterback Carson Wentz could be in the picture.

“Tom Brady is retired. Somebody has to play quarterback in Tampa,” Bleacher Report’s Timothy Rapp wrote.

The Washington Commanders released Wentz on Monday, February 27, after one season for a $26.176 million salary cap savings amid his chronic career downturn. Wentz came out of North Dakota State as a five-time national champion and coveted No. 2 pick in 2016. He became a serious MVP candidate in 2017 amid the Philadelphia Eagles‘ Super Bowl run, but his success dwindled following an ACL tear before the 2017 playoffs.

“Wentz’s level of play has consistently dropped since he appeared to be one of the bright young stars at the position early in his career,” Rapp wrote. “But injuries seemed to halt that progress, and stops in Indianapolis and Washington have left plenty to be desired. And now the question is simple: Who exactly is signing up for the Carson Wentz Experience?”

In come the Bucs with the $58.5 million over the salary cap and 20-plus free agents to re-sign. That’s also a Bucs squad reportedly set on starting third-year quarterback Kyle Trask despite 10 snaps of regular season experience according to ESPN’s Jeff Darlington.

“Kyle Trask will likely be given a shot, but the Bucs almost assuredly will bring in a veteran to compete with him,” Rapp wrote. “There is too much talent in Tampa to completely punt on the quarterback position. So if other, better options don’t materialize — basically, [Aaron] Rodgers, [Lamar] Jackson or [Derek] Carr — Wentz could be plan B…or C.”

Bucs’ Offense a Game-Changer for Wentz?

Wentz could arguably have some of the best talent in his career around him if he joins the Bucs.

He never had two 1,000-yard wide receivers in one season. The Bucs have two in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, who both produced at that level whether the quarterback throwing to them was Brady or Jameis Winston.

Wentz only played with one 1,000-yard running back in his career thus far. The Bucs have a new offensive coordinator in Dave Canales who wants to retool the running game after a last-place performance in 2022. There’s talent to work with in Rachaad White and Leonard Fournette.

Both can catch passes out of the backfield well, an ability Wentz did well with in Indianapolis with running backs Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines. Wentz completed 80 passes for three touchdowns and 670 yards to the tandem.

The Bucs’ offensive line can get healthy for 2023, and Wentz could benefit from Pro Bowl-caliber center Ryan Jensen. Tampa Bay’s offensive line graded in the top 10 with Pro Football Focus despite all of the injuries in 2022. Wentz’s best years in occurred when the Eagles had top-five blocking units from 2017 to 2019.

Could Canales Fix Wentz’s Play?

Wentz could also benefit from Canales, who helped Geno Smith turn around his career in Seattle in 2022.

Smith held promise as a second-round draft pick in 2013, but he didn’t pan out with the New York Jets, and he became a backup for seven seasons. Canales notably expressed confidence in developing almost any quarterback with the system he has in mind for the Bucs.

“I would say, really right now, the system is the system. It handles any real type of quarterback,” Canales said in a February 22 press conference.