Thin Ice Veteran
July 20th, 2021
The good and the bad.
You know you have good problems when…
The Bucs have a loaded roster. We all know that. Maybe depth is a wee bit thin in depth in certain areas, but hey, let’s not gripe when a team returns 22+1 starters from a Super Bowl winner.
So when ESPN tasked its NFL beat writers to come up with a veteran player on the bubble for each team, it poised a helluva task for Jenna Laine, the four-letter’s Bucs beat reporter. Every veteran is locked in, aren’t they?
Well, not exactly.
But to demonstrate the stacked Tampa Bay roster, Laine believes the veteran most likely not to be on the final 53-man roster will be a third-stringer: backup quarterback Ryan Griffin.
Why he could get cut: You’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone in the Bucs’ organization who doesn’t like Griffin. He has been with the team since 2015, serving primarily as the third-string quarterback. But with Tom Brady under contract for two more seasons, the Bucs have to look toward the future, which is why they selected Kyle Trask in the second round of the NFL draft. So it’s up to Griffin to try to beat out Blaine Gabbert, who has significantly more experience. Griffin has played in just two career games, while Gabbert has started 48.
Just given what Super Bowl-winning coach Bucco Bruce Arians has stated very publicly about Blaine Gabbert, Joe believes it would be virtually impossible for Griffin win the job from Gabbert.
Of course, barring injury.
Now it would not shock Joe if Trask came down with a sprained ankle or twisted knee (wink, wink) and the Bucs put Trask on injured reserve list and keep Griffin.
It seems a stretch that four quarterbacks be on the active roster. So yeah, Joe thinks Laine is on point here.
But man, how good is your roster when the third-string quarterback is the big bubble guy?
July 20th, 2021 at 12:04 am
Trask on IR w/ a Twisted Gizzard (which would be an amazing name for a bar).
July 20th, 2021 at 12:18 am
Free griffin I want him to get at least a couple of starts in his career see what he can do .
July 20th, 2021 at 1:41 am
That’s the best problem I ever had!
Who is this idiot?
July 20th, 2021 at 4:50 am
Jenna’s not really going out on much of a limb here with her ‘prediction’. Who was the last NFL team to carry 4 QBs on their active roster? Uhhh, probably no one? Ever?
Ryan Griffin is a survivor … for a reason. Since this is his 7th season with us (after having survived 2 seasons with Sean Payton to start his career as an undrafted rookie), I’d venture to say that his coaches see something in Griff that we as fans probably don’t see. He’s smart & dependable. And I think that’s what HCs look for in backups at all positions.
I agree with you Joe. Bucs re-signed Griffin for this season at $1.15 mil for a reason: he’s their insurance policy. They’ll find a way to keep him ‘available’.
July 20th, 2021 at 5:50 am
And the “legend” of Ryan Griffin continues…
He needs a mob name, an alias:
Ryan “Two Times”
Ryan “Teflon”
Ryan “Mr. Clean”…
July 20th, 2021 at 6:39 am
You absolutely have to keep Griffin, who else is gonna carry Brady off the boat after our next SB win?
July 20th, 2021 at 6:43 am
Trask couldn’t practice on IR……so that’s not going to happen….needs to work under Brady.
I don’t think we need 4 QBs on the active roster…..and we certainly don’t need to pay $1mil for the extra one.
I like Griffin but wouldn’t be a bit surprised to see him cut.
July 20th, 2021 at 6:58 am
Agreed!
July 20th, 2021 at 8:04 am
Griffin is odd man out…..frankly if we get to the point where Trask or Griffin are starting, our season is likely done and Trask gets the call to gain experience.
July 20th, 2021 at 9:26 am
Ryan who? If he was any good he would have played somewhere, anywhere. He’s made millions carrying a clipboard with no risk of debilitating injury. Probably married a supermodel because he’s “plays” in the NFL. Luckiest man on planet earth.
July 20th, 2021 at 11:35 am
Personally, I think it could be advantageous for Griffin if he were released giving him a chance to be picked up by another team. Maybe they’ll see something in him and give him that long-awaited chance to start and prove his ability. But the chances are he’d end up on a bad team whose supporting cast is weak and he’d never really get a chance to show his wares, something that seems to happen to a whole lot of new QB’s who come into the league with high expectations.
But I agree with Jenna, it’s looking like Ryan’s the odd man out unless he can prove he’s a better option than Gabbert.
July 20th, 2021 at 11:50 am
Bucsfanman.
I will play!
How about:
“Ryan the galloping to the bank Griffin”
Agree Joe a good problem to have.
I also would like to see him play a few full games.
July 20th, 2021 at 12:57 pm
Bad move Jason. That should of been a CB in the second round instead of a fourth string, college looking QB. Next year, Gabbert will be 32 years old, Griffin will be 32 years old. Who’s to say Brady won’t retire after this year? Then we’re stuck with Trask (who is a Buc and I’m not giving up on yet), not enough money to sign a legit vet QB or move higher in the draft unless some sad trades and cuts and not resigning for Bucs fans.
But I still believe in the Bucs FO in building through the draft and a long term plan already put into place. Hopefully we can keep a good amount of coaches down the line.
July 20th, 2021 at 7:59 pm
Defense rules,, Patriots carried 4 QBs,,in 2000,,wanna guess who was the 4 QB 😉
July 20th, 2021 at 9:02 pm
If Ryan is cut, my money is on the Saints picking him up.
July 20th, 2021 at 10:48 pm
Again, drafting a 4th string QB in the 2nd round was dumb.
We needed another young and tough D lineman.
But oh well.
Go Bucs!
July 20th, 2021 at 11:00 pm
Why the hate for Trask? At least Buc’s fans should give the guy a chance.
The defensive tackles at the end of the 2nd round really sucked. Typically corners at the end of the 2nd round hit at about 25 percent.
If a QB like Trask only hits 25 percent of the time, I am glad we rolled that die.
For you guys saying a D line guy or Cornerback. You have to pick that guy this week and then we will see if your pick is any better than Licht’s.