Jameis Winston Not Guaranteed Starting Spot Upon Return From Suspension

Winston will be reinstated from his suspension in Week 4.

Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston will return from suspension in Week 4, but there's no guarantee he'll be lining up under center for Tampa Bay.

In an interview with Ronde Barber and Chris Myers on WFLA-TV in Tampa, Bucs general manager Jason Licht disputed the notion that Winston will automatically be reinstalled as the team's starting quarterback.

"If Ryan Fitzpatrick, Ryan Griffin, whoever it is, is playing lights out, I don't think it's fair right now just to say, 'Yes, automatically, [Jameis] is going to be the guy,'" Licht said. "Now, he may be. Dirk and I, Dirk in particular, he's got some time to think about that." 

Winston has played this preseason, completing 30 of 41 attempts. Winston has thrown for 518 yards, adding four touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Licht did praise Winston's preseason effort despite falling short of naming him the outright starter.

"We are very excited where Jameis is right now," Licht said. "And he is playing – right now in the preseason and the way he finished up last year – he's playing to where we thought he could be. And there's even more potential there. So we're very excited about having Jamies Winston with us."

The No. 1 pick in the 2015 draft, Winston was suspended for three games in June after violating the league's personal conduct policy.

Winston confirmed accusations of groping an Uber driver, issuing an apology on June 28.

"First and foremost, I would like to say I’m sorry to the Uber driver for the position I put you in," Winston wrote. "It is uncharacteristic of me and I genuinely apologize."

Winston has made 45 career starts with Tampa Bay, going 18–27 over the past three seasons. The Florida State product threw for 3,504 yards in 2017, tossing 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.