Jameis Winston might not get starting job back immediately

Jameis Winston might not get his starting quarterback job immediately after serving his suspension.

Winston is serving a three-game suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. Ryan Fitzpatrick has been starting in his place and led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to victory over the New Orleans Saints in Week 1, lighting up the scoreboard in the process. He passed for 417 yards and four touchdowns in the game, easily surpassing all expectations.

Given the great start Fitzpatrick had, the Bucs appear open to taking things week-by-week once Winston returns, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport. He notes that the Bucs will be on a short week when they get ready for Week 4 after playing on Monday night in Week 3. Due to the short preparation week, it could make sense to keep Fitzpatrick as the starter, especially since they have a bye in Week 5, which would be a natural time to make a change.

A lot of this depends on how Fitzpatrick looks. If he wins one of his two next starts and doesn’t completely implode, it would make a lot of sense for the Bucs to continue rolling with him.