The Tampa Bay Buccaneers did themselves and quarterback Josh McCown a big favor yesterday when they chose to release him well ahead of the start of the NFL's free agency period.
McCown would have cost the team significant money, but as they had already determined he wasn't their future at the position, he can get a head start on finding a new NFL home and the Bucs can now get to work on identifying and installing their real franchise quarterback.
Mike Glennon, the former third-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, has looked the part at times, but is a limited athlete with a low ceiling that the Bucs are rumored to view as nothing more than a "good backup."
Add in the fact that the leftover from the previous regime has stated his desire for a starting gig and, like McCown, it may spell an end to his time in Tampa.
"Bucs head coach Lovie Smith and general manager Jason Licht see value in Glennon's experience and his upside working with new offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, who has a great track record for developing pocket passers," writes Scott Reynolds of The Pewter Report. "Tampa Bay won't just give Glennon away, but will entertain offers from other QB-needy teams, especially in a draft that is poor in quarterback quality and quantity after Winston and Mariota, who are both expected to be selected in the top 10."
Those two guys, Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota and Florida State signal-caller Jameis Winston, are another reason the Bucs may choose to part ways with Glennon. Sitting pretty with the first-overall pick in next April's NFL Draft, Smith and Licht have their pick of the litter.
With two potential franchise quarterbacks staring them in the face, the Bucs would be hard-pressed to pass up on an opportunity to provide the franchise an answer at the game's most important position.
Martin Fennelly of the Tampa Tribune believes the team should deal Glennon - "the Bucs might get something for Glennon, a third- or fourth-round draft pick," he writes - and draft one of either Mariota or Winston.
"I don't think Wednesday increases the chances of the Bucs taking a quarterback, either Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota. I think those chances are already locked in, or should be, or have to be, even if the Bucs aren't 100 percent sure about Mariota on the field or Winston off it," Fennelly writes. "They have to get a quarterback. They have to take a swing."
While each signal-caller comes with question marks, they carry the potential for quarterback greatness currently missing from the Buccaneers roster.
No one knows yet which of the two soon-to-be NFLers the Bucs prefer - or if they'll definitively select one - but all signs are pointing to a major amount of turnover at the quarterback position for Tampa Bay.
