Bruce Arians says Bucs could keep third QB quarantined as emergency depth

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are trying to prepare for any scenario that may arise during the coming NFL season.

Appearing this week on “Green Light” with Chris Long, Bucs head coach Bruce Arians said he was considering the possibility of keeping a third quarterback away from the facility during the season. The thinking is for the team to have an emergency fill-in available in the event of a positive test on the roster.

“Yeah, that’s one of the things I’ve been pondering the last two or three weeks as we set the protocols,” Arians said, per Josh Alper of PFT. “From what I’m understanding is if you test positive, you get quarantined for two weeks. Now, if you have no symptoms, I don’t know what that means. Is it a false one?

“There’s so much to learn and still explore with this thing, but I’ve thought about keeping the third quarterback on the roster out of the room,” added Arians. “We have two guys that have been in our system, really sharp. So, I might have to quarantine a quarterback just in case of a quarantine.”

Tampa Bay’s new arrival Tom Brady will be starting under center in 2020, but the Bucs are also returning two backup quarterbacks from last year’s team in Blaine Gabbert and Ryan Griffin, as Arians alluded to.

The quarterback position is widely seen as the single most important one on the team as well as one of the most difficult to effectively replace. Arians is already exploring innovative new strategies for the coming season, and the idea of keeping a third QB in quarantine could be one that catches on with the rest of the league as well.

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